Rugby: Chiefs newbie eyeballing Aussie legends

Jackson Willison. Photo / Getty Images

For a bloke who lists his greatest hobby as fishing, new Chiefs midfielder Jackson Willison has landed himself a great scrap in Canberra tonight.

He will pit his skills against two of Australia's best with Matt Giteau's rapier class and Stirling Mortlock's hammer power reunited in the Brumbies midfield partnership.

Willison's Super 14 career has not yet reached double figures while the Wallaby duo have collected more than 200 caps between them and also decorated the international arena.

However, Willison will be guided by Stephen Donald and Richard Kahui on either side as they look to impart the sort of heat the Blues were able to place on the Brumbies' defences.

Willison has taken over from the dependable Callum Bruce as the Chiefs search for a remedy for their twin-game losing trot.

They made their best start to a Super rugby campaign with three wins on the road before they fell to the Reds and Crusaders on their return to Hamilton.

Their task tonight may have got a fraction tougher with the Brumbies smarting from their loss last week when they were overpowered in the third quarter by a rampaging Blues side.

Brumbies coach Andy Friend admitted his side struggled to adjust to the speed of the Blues' play after a string of matches against South African sides. "We've been used to another pace," he said. "We talked about it last week, but it's one thing talking about it and another thing being out there and playing against it, so we'll be better for that."

The Brumbies have lost the remarkable George Smith and five- eighths Christian Lealiifano for this game and have pitched teenage flanker Michael Hooper into his debut combat.

Smith's absence is remarkable. He last missed a Super game five years ago when the Chiefs visited Canberra and drew with the Brumbies.

Since then he has played 59 consecutive matches following a sequence of 66 games from his debut in 2000 through to that missed match in 2005.

It was that endurance which left the Brumbies without a regular openside understudy and forced them to turn to the teenage Hooper for assistance.