Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has backed Izack Rodda to make the most of an unexpected Test debut against New Zealand.
Adam Coleman's late withdrawal with a shoulder injury means Rodda will come off the bench in Saturday's second Bledisloe Cup clash in Dunedin.
It caps off a meteoric rise for the 21-year-old from Lismore.
He only made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds at the start of this year but impressed so much in his 12 appearances that the franchise saw fit to dispense with stalwart Rob Simmons and stick with Rodda as a long-term lock option.
He also only found out he would be playing at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday morning.
Hooper admitted it was a "huge blow" for the Wallabies to lose Coleman and said they'd sorely miss his physical presence.
But he said he was excited to see how "big lump of a bloke" Rodda would handle being thrown into the Bledisloe cauldron.
"You're never ready," Hooper told reporters.
"You're in the best possible position you can be in and you've just got to get out there and do what you do.
"I've been really impressed with Rodds throughout the year. He's just got to get in the jersey and do his thing."
Rodda broke into Wallabies calculations after an injury to another boom second-row prospect from the Reds, Lukhan Tui, forced coach Michael Cheika to cast the net wider.
Rodda caught Cheika's eye when he called in a group of Reds players to train with the Wallabies in the lead-up to their clash against Italy in Brisbane last month.
"He was walking around in Reds gear and Cheika had him come in and do a bit of training with the guys," Hooper said.
"He ripped in straight away and it goes back to that question of being ready.
"It's about taking your opportunity and Rodds in the wrong gear that day was taking his opportunity and putting us through our paces and that's what you want from a guy like him."
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