Israel Folau will start in the centres for the very first time and club captain Dave Dennis has been dumped to the bench in a major shake-up for the NSW Waratahs' must-win Super Rugby showdown with the Brumbies.
Folau will forge a dynamic all-Wallabies midfield pairing with Kurtley Beale, who returns from an elbow injury as the Waratahs' season goes on the line at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Andrew Kellaway has earned his first start at fullback to accommodate Folau's move, while Matt Carraro and Reece Robinson are the wingers with former All Black Zac Guildford being ruled out with a broken foot.
"I want to maximise all the guys' potential on the field, so looking to get the ball in his hands very often," assistant coach Nathan Grey said in a strong indication he had a fair say in Folau's positional switch to the front line.
"The guys coming into the side, `Kell' at the back, he's a good, safe young kid so in terms of risk v reward, I think it's going to be a good opportunity for us to play the way we want to play."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Folau is delighted to finally get a crack at outside centre after first being mooted as a candidate for a permanent move there by now-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika as long as 18 months ago.
"Getting him the ball a little bit more will be a good opportunity to unleash," Grey said.
"He sits down a lot of defenders because you've got to mark him so that might open up opportunities elsewhere as well."
Head coach Daryl Gibson has also made numerous changes to his pack following the Waratahs' two-from-five start to the season, but none bigger than relegating former captain Dennis.
Prop Paddy Ryan has also been dumped to the bench, with Wallabies lock Will Skelton injected into the starting XV following a stint in club rugby to partner Dean Mumm in the second row.
"I'm happy to be back with the boys. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be back in the team," Skelton said.
"I had a slow start to the season and I don't think I was efficient enough with my ball carrying, defence and ruck stuff.
"I wasn't really using my strengths to my advantage. He (Gibson) thought a week or two in club rugby would freshen me up and hopefully it pays dividends this weekend."
Young prop Tom Robertson has also been rewarded with the opportunity to make his starting debut in the front row following some impressive performances off the bench.
Waratahs: Andrew Kellaway, Reece Robinson, Israel Folau, Kurtley Beale, Matt Carraro, Bernard Foley, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper (capt), Jack Dempsey, Will Skelton, Dean Mumm, Tom Robertson, Hugh Roach, Benn Robinson. Res: James Hilterbrand, Paddy Ryan, Angus Taavao, Sam Lousi, Wycliff Palu, David Dennis, Matt Lucas, David Horwitz.
