Preview: Brumbies v Wales
Wales labelled this a 'tour of opportunities' and Tuesday is an opportunity for some youngsters to put their hands up for starting places in the Test team.
That means there won't be a lack of motivation when the Red Dragons take on the Brumbies in a mid-week match in Canberra on Tuesday.
However, the Brumbies' South African coach, Jake White, has also been 'forced' to field a host of second-string players – with eight Brumbies, including skipper Ben Mowen, with the Wallabies squad.
Three Brumbies will be making their debuts, while another six – five of whom will start on the bench – will wear the Brumbies jersey for the first time this year.
Welsh flank Josh Turnbull, who is one of several players that did not feature in the 19-27 Test loss to the Wallabies at the weekend, said they are looking forward to taking on the Brumbies.
He is part of a new-look Wales back row which also features Scarlets teammate Aaron Shingler and Ospreys tearaway flank Justin Tipuric.
While the Brumbies won't have any of their current internationals, their Super Rugby form means most of the players are in good shape and will give the Welsh a good run for their money.
"I have watched them and they have brought a bit of [that] South African mentality in with Jake White coaching them," Turnbull said on Monday, ahead of Tuesday's showdown in the Aussie capital.
"That [mentality] didn't do South Africa too bad, so I suppose the Brumbies play that kind of rugby now and doing well."
He also suggested that the Brumbies will be up to 'speed' with the pace and intensity of what Wales encountered in the Test against the Wallabies at the weekend.
"I spoke to some of the boys [who played at the weekend] and they were surprised how fast the first 40 minutes [of the Test] was," the Welsh flank said, adding: "It took us [Wales] a little while to adapt.
"As a team we are only going to adapt to that if we play more games at this level and this intensity.
"You have to play the Southern Hemisphere teams more often."
He also spoke of the opportunity for the mid-week players to put their hands up for places in the Test team.
"There are a lot of youngsters in this team who want to be in that Test team and it is a great opportunity for us to put our hands up with a good performance."
Turnbull dismissed the notion that the tourists will lack motivation because it is not a Test match.
"You always want to represent Wales, whether it is a Test match or not.
"Wearing that red jersey is always a special moment – whether it is against Australia or the Brumbies, the intensity is always going to be there … it will be a massive game."
The Brumbies mentor, White, threw down the gauntlet to his team, telling them to show they deserve to be on the Super Rugby stage.
''I've signed a lot of players, but I haven't seen them actually out there playing,'' White said of a team that is minus eight internationals.
''Because we've been going well and through certain circumstances, we haven't been able to rotate, so I want to see these guys at the next level.
''I don't know what to expect and that's quite nice, it's exciting.''
White, who returned from his trip to Japan refreshed and reinvigorated, warned his inexperienced Brumbies outfit to brace for a Test-like atmosphere.
He dismissed the notion that this is a second-string team.
"Take a look at the records and the Test caps they've got," White said on Monday.
"[Flyhalf James] Hook has got over 60 Test caps, you know, and their lock pairing have got over 100 Test caps, so if you compare that to what we have … we've got a relatively young and inexperienced team.
"But that's nothing that we're not used to.
"We started the campaign playing the [Western] Force on the first weekend and they had six Wallabies in their pack and we had a bunch of no-name brands [the Brumbies won 19-17].
"So it might be a big ask, but [we're calling on these young players] to step up to the plate and take a chance."
Teams:
Brumbies: 15 Robbie Coleman, 14 Cam Crawford, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Andrew Smith, 11 Kimami Sitauti, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Ita Vaea, 7 Colby Faingaa, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Ben Hand (captain), 4 Leon Power, 3 Scott Sio, 2 Anthony Hegarty, 1 Ruaidhri Murphy.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 JP Pradaud, 18 Dylan Sigg, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Beau Mokoputo, 21 Tom Cox, 22 Jesse Mogg.
Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Harry Robinson, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Aled Brew, 10 James Hook, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Aaron Shingler, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 3 Rhodri Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Gareth Delve, 20 Lloyd Williams, 21 Rhys Priestland, 22 Alex Cuthbert.
Date: Tuesday, June 12
Venue: Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Kick-off: 19.30 (09.30 GMT)
Referee: Ian Smith
