All eyes will be on Canberra Vikings' Noah Lolesio as the battle to replace Christian Lealiifano as the ACT Brumbies' starting flyhalf kicks into gear at the National Rugby Championship.
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The 19-year-old will have his first chance to make his stamp on the No.10 jersey when the Vikings take on the Melbourne Rising at Box Hill on Saturday.
He's spent the past 12 months picking Lealiifano's brain and learning the ropes at the under-20s world championship as in preparation for his Super Rugby audition.
Teenager Lolesio is regarded as the club's flyhalf of the future but will compete with Reesjan Pasitoa, Bayley Kuenzle, and Mack Hansen for the starting position.
The Wallabies junior was given the nod by Vikings coach Nick Scrivener for the opening fixture but will share the role with Kuenzle, who has been named on the bench.
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"It's not necessarily going to be a rotation scenario because we have to play our team with the best performers," Scrivener said.
"It's a really competitive squad and you have to play well to hold your spot.
"Noah has got the nod but Bayley is looking good at training. He's a different sort of player to Noah - he's bigger for a start.
"They can both play No.10 or 12 but they're slightly different [players] and I've really enjoyed working with Bayley. He's knowledgeable and will get an opportunity for sure."
The NRC has introduced several rule variations this year to help increase the speed of the game.
Defensive teams who hold up an attacker over the try-line will take a line drop out rather than muscling up for a five-metre scrum, but Scrivener is unsure how the change will be officiated.
"It could potentially change the way teams pick and drive on the line," Scrivener said.
"But what I don't know is whether you get held up - I know that's going to be a line dropout - but if the referee can't tell what's happened under a pile of bodies does that go back to a scrum?"
Teams can also regain possession if they kick the ball from inside their own half and find touch inside the opposition 22 metre zone, similar to an NRL 40-20.
Scrivener hopes opposing teams try to employ the 50-22 kick so his side can receive possession on the counter attack.
"If you get it wrong it's an attacking opportunity from the middle of the field that you give up, which gives the other team counter-attack ball," Scrivener said.
"I hope the opposition does that for us because counter-attack is one of our strengths.
"It'll be interesting how it plays out but I don't think it's going to be a massive advantage in the game. It'll happen, maybe a couple of times."
Meanwhile Wallaby Pete Samu and Rob Valentini will link-up with former NSW Waratahs flanker Will Miller in the backrow.
NRC
Round one: Saturday, August 31 - Melbourne Rising v Canberra Vikings at Box Hill Rugby Club, Melbourne, 1.30pm.
Vikings team list: 1. Fred Kaihea, 2. Connal McInerney, 3. Jake Simeon, 4. Darcy Swain (C), 5. Blake Enever, 6. Pete Samu, 7. Will Miller, 8. Rob Valentini, 9. Ryan Lonergan, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Mack Hansen, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Tom Wright, 14. Toni Pulu, 15. Andy Muirhead
Reserves: 16. Lachlan Lonergan, 17.Bo Abra, 18. Nick Dobson, 19. Nick Frost, 20. Angus Allen, 21. Seamus Smith, 22. Bayley Kuenzle, 23. Andrew Robinson