Saia Fainga'a will complete an emotional Super Rugby homecoming for the Brumbies, one month after the unexpected death of his father.
Fainga'a and his twin brother Anthony returned to Canberra in the off-season after eight seasons with the Queensland Reds.
They were members of the Reds title-winning 2011 side and have earned almost 60 Wallabies caps between them.
The 30-year-old Queanbeyan-born pair were given leave from the club after Saia senior died in Tonga last month.
Saia will don a Brumbies jersey for the first time since 2008 when the hooker takes his place on the bench in Saturday night's match against the Highlanders at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
Teammate and fellow Wallaby Scott Sio will join him as a reserve and says he is looking forward to playing alongside him after a tough time for the Fainga'a family.
"With all the stuff going on in his family we've been very supportive of him, Ant and the Fainga'a family," Sio said.
"We've been behind them and told them to take as much time as they need with it. He felt good to go this week.
"I'm pretty excited. I haven't packed down with Saia since the 2013 Lions tour so it's going to be something new for me and something that I'm really looking forward to."
Sio returns from a hamstring injury which has sidelined him for the first four matches of the season after taking a conservative approach to his comeback.
"I thought I'd have a few more nerves but I guess I'm just excited," Sio said.
Both Sio and Fainga'a will aim to have an impact off the bench as the Brumbies shoot for three wins on the trot in a bid to solidify their position at the top of the Australian conference.
"Your mindset doesn't change that much but you know that you're playing in what we call the championship minutes - the last sort of 20 minutes of the game," Sio said.
"We're there to finish the game off and really put the hammer down."
