Untested rookie Len Ikitau will be thrown into the ACT Brumbies midfield to fill the giant shoes of Tevita Kuridrani on Saturday night.
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Ikitau will make his Super Rugby debut when the Brumbies play against the Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium after the side's barnstorming Test centre was ruled out on Thursday.
Kuridrani will miss at least one game after the powerful outside centre suffered a slight medial ligament strain.
Ikitau, 20, moved to Canberra two years ago to take a chance as a fringe Brumbies squad member and coach Dan McKellar backed the tackling machine to capably handle a massive step up.
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"I still remember Lenny coming down here as soon as he finished school in Brisbane. He's ready to go," McKellar said.
"He was always going to get a crack in Super Rugby over the next couple of weeks and it turns out it will come against the Blues.
"He's got great footwork, probably our best one-on-one defender, he's physical and he brings a lot of things we're excited about."
David Pocock has been left out of the Brumbies team and will likely miss next week as well as he struggles with an ongoing calf problem.
Lachlan McCaffrey (knee) is also unavailable, while McKellar said the Brumbies are still searching for a hooker to add to their roster after Josh Mann-Rea ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Ikitau, a former junior Wallaby, is one of three changes to the Brumbies' starting side, with Joe Powell to return to the No. 9 role and Irae Simone reclaiming the inside centre job.
The Brumbies have lost their past three games against the Blues, but a bonus-point win and favourable results in other games would see them rocket to the top of the Australian conference.
The ladder competition is so tight the Brumbies could rise to the top of the Australian conference with a big win against their Auckland rivals.
They will have to snap a three-game losing run against the Blues to do so and Ikitau will be thrown in the deep end against an All Blacks veteran - Ma'a Nonu.
"Last year if you won eight games you snuck into the semis and this year you might if you win seven, which is what we won last year," McKellar said.
"Four out of our next six are at home, we've performed well at home so we're confident good things area ahead.
"This time of year you need to build momentum and confidence as we did last year and then you sneak into the finals and anything can happen on the day."
