Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore has backed teenage rookie Tom Staniforth to stand tall in a battle against two Test locks, but admits there's an element of the unknown as the ACT Brumbies prepare to blood their youngest player in four years.
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Part-time barman Staniforth is set to earn his first Super Rugby cap when he is injected into the Brumbies starting side for a massive clash against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
The 19-year-old has been training in the starting XV and, despite starting the year without a contract, will get a chance to take on former Wallabies skipper James Horwill and Test second-row partner Rob Simmons.
Staniforth's preparations for the under-20s world championship have been temporarily put on hold while he focuses on trying to help the Brumbies win in Brisbane for the first time since 2011.
The former Canberra Grammar student will become the youngest Brumbies debutant since Robbie Coleman in 2010 when bolts into the Super Rugby spotlight.
"[The Reds] have a lot of Wallabies full stop. Both of their locks [Horwill and Simmons] are quality players, I've played a lot with both of them," Moore said.
"But if Tommy or Jack [Whetton] get a chance, they'll do a great job. Tom is a local kid, he's come through the ranks and he's trained outstanding for us, if he gets the opportunity I'm really confident he'll do the job.
"[Staniforth] is raw, he's only young ... he's thrown himself around and hasn't taken a backward step. It's a squad mentality, anyone in that group can step up. I am confident, but only time will tell."
Staniforth is set to get a starting XV chance with Whetton, the son of All Blacks great Gary Whetton, to play from the bench.
The Brumbies have been boosted by some good injury news with lock Sam Carter a chance to make his comeback from a knee injury against the Waikato Chiefs on Anzac Day.
Hooker Moore will be back in action after last weekend missing his first game in almost three years because of a knee problem and Wallabies prop Scott Sio has recovered from an ankle injury.
The Reds are desperate for a victory after losing three of their past four games, including a shock defeat to the Western Force last weekend.
The Reds won the round-one contest between the teams and fired a shot at the Brumbies earlier this week, declaring they would target ACT fullback Jesse Mogg.
"The Reds are clearly pretty desperate after a loss [to the Force] and they've said openly their season is on the line this Friday," Moore said.
"They won't be happy with losing at home, that's for sure. Their [chief executive] has made some remarks in the press this week about the playing stocks and that will no doubt add to motivation.
"We need to make sure our desperation matches theirs.''
Sio hasn't played since the Brumbies beat the Waratahs at Canberra Stadium last month.
The 22-year-old prop is off contract at the end of the year and wants to repay the Brumbies for giving him a Super Rugby chance.
"I'm not too worried about [contracts], I'll worry about that when the time comes but the Brumbies gave me my opportunity and there's no reason for me to go anywhere else," Sio said.
"The teams who win championships win every game. We can't drop a game if we want to be in the finals series, if we lose this week and the Waratahs win, they go ahead of us [in the Australian conference].
"I'm all Brumby driven ... I haven't won [in Brisbane], I was 23rd man [in 2012] and that was a crushing defeat. They have a lot of pride in playing at home and if we're off our game we'll be at the wrong end of the scale."
