All Blacks and Bay of Plenty openside flanker Sam Cane will miss the opening match of the Super Rugby campaign against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.
The Chiefs co-captain is not completely over a niggling ankle injury with his place in the starting 15 going to another Bay of Plenty player in Mitch Karpik.
"I feel like a 10-year-old kid again, I'm just really excited to lace up my boots and play some rugby," Karpik said after he got the call-up after missing all of the last season with a severe knee injury.
The 21-year-old tearaway with the trademark long, blond locks will make his debut for the Chiefs a year after moving south from Auckland. He is yet to play for the Steamers in the Mitre 10 Cup.
Karpik is one of four exciting young players in line to make their Investec Super Rugby debut for the Gallagher Chiefs on Friday night.
He is joined in the starting lineup by 21-year-old Taranaki livewire Johnny Faauli who will start his first game at second five-eighth, while Waikato hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho, 19, and Counties Manukau halfback Jonathan Taumateine, 20, could earn their first caps off the bench.
