Taniela Tupou's next Wallabies assignment reads like the latest Marvel Studios blockbuster.
The Queensland Reds heavyweight, affectionately known as Tongan Thor, will lock horns with Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira in a selection tit-for-tat set to shake the foundations of Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The pair have both been called into their run-on sides for the Port Elizabeth Test on Sunday morning (AEST) after they waged a mesmeric battle as substitutes in Brisbane earlier this month.
Tupou, 22, claimed the honours at Suncorp Stadium and has impressed enough since to earn a run-on debut as the Wallabies chase their first win in South Africa since 2011.
"It's an opportunity to go head on with an experienced campaigner like Mtawarira from the very start," Cheika said.
"It's probably a bit different for a young fella to start the game but he'll bring the emotion and aggression as he always does."
Tupou isn't sure how to pronounce the Springbok veteran's surname but he knows his nickname and what he'll bring to the host's scrum at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
"Their No.1, what's his name, the Beast, he's one of the best and going to be a big challenge going up against him again," Tupou said of the 105-Test veteran.
"It's going to be hard but good."
Cheika sees the challenge of transitioning from a pinch-hitting bench role to a starting berth as the next step in Tupou's development.
"There's heaps of upside ... he's still very young and this is a chance to step up and improve again," the coach said.
"But it ain't a practice match for him to get better - it's a Test match.
"I put him in for that with the full belief he'll be more than capable to take his opponent on and win."
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