Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa has been named to start for the Western Force as they look for a crucial win over the Highlanders.
Paenga-Amosa has not played since their Round Five defeat to the Crusaders, missing last week's clash with his old side, the Queensland Reds.
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The Wallaby is one of two changes to last weekend's starting team, with Vaiolini Ekuasi selected at number eight.
The move will see Nick Champion de Crespigny move to blindside flanker alongside Carlo Tizzano, the competition's top try scorer.
Front-rower Josh Smith and winger George Poolman come onto the bench, with the Force hunting for victory before next week's bye.
“They (the Highlanders) are pretty close to us on the ladder, and that obviously plays into it as well and then the week after the Highlanders," prop Tom Robertson said on Tuesday.
"We really want to go out on a high and enjoy that week off.”
The Force sits sixth on the SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific ladder amid a congested mid-table group.
Just five points separate the Force and ninth, with the Blues and Fijian Drua three points further back.
Simon Cron's side has played one more game than all of those sides, making the game against eighth-place Highlanders even more important.
“The competition is the most even it’s been since I’ve been playing Super Rugby and it makes it highly competitive,” Robertson added.
“Every week is a test to make sure you’re in that top six at the end of the year.
"It’s a great thing and it’s good for the game but it also means there’s a lot of pressure on every game every weekend, which is what you want."
FORCE (1-15): Marley Pearce, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams (c), Darcy Swain, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Nic White, Ben Donaldson, Dylan Pietsch, Hamish Stewart, Sio Tomkinson, Harry Potter, Mac Grealy
Replacements: Nic Dolly, Atu Moli, Josh Smith, Reed Prinsep, Will Harris, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Max Burey, George Poolman
