Former All Black Tamati Ellison and England loose forward James Haskell have been rushed into a depleted Highlanders side for their Super rugby opener against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The pair, who did not return from Japan until Thursday, are among nine newcomers in the squad of 22.
Ellison will start at centre and Haskell will come off the bench.
Coach Jamie Joseph had no qualms about including them in his injury-hit squad.
“It’s a different level of rugby that Tamati and James have been playing,” he said on Friday.
“But they’re experienced and they’re probably better prepared than the others because they have played a lot of recent rugby.”
There are six new Highlanders in the starting line-up, including five in the backs.
Ellison and All Blacks wing Hosea Gear will be joined by five-eighths Chris Noakes and Phil Burleigh and wing Buxton Popoali’i, who will be making their Super 15 debuts.
The other newcomer is All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore, who made his Otago debut in 1998 but has spent most of his career playing for the Hurricanes and Taranaki.
The three new faces in the reserves are Haskell, lock Culum Retallick and fullback Kurt Baker, who missed the entire season for the Highlanders last year because of a stress fracture in his back.
Players not considered because of injury were backs Colin Slade, Siale Piutau, Shaun Treeby, Kenny Lynn and Kade Poki, and forwards Jarrad Hoeata and Ma’afu Fia.
“We’ve been hampered by injuries and it’s been really disruptive, but my feeling is the guys really want to go out and play,” Joseph said.
“I don’t think there will be any lack of desire. We’ll just have to see whether that is enough.”
The Highlanders lost to the Chiefs 20-7 in Hamilton last year and were beaten 38-36 in a pre-season game in Queenstown.
Highlanders: Ben Smith, Buxton Popoali’i, Tamati Ellison, Phil Burleigh, Hosea Gear, Chris Noakes, Jimmy Cowan, Nasi Manu, John Hardie, Adam Thomson, Nick Croswell, Josh Bekhuis, Chris King, Andrew Hore, Jamie Mackintosh (capt). Res: Jason Rutledge, Bronson Murray, Culum Retallick, James Haskell, Aaron Smith, Lima Sopoaga, Kurt Baker.
