NSW Waratahs are preparing for life without Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley.
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Fulfilling his obligation to Australia national team coach Michael Cheika to rest his stars during the gruelling Super Rugby campaign, Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has opted to sit Foley and fellow Test veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper out of Friday night's clash with the Sunwolves in Newcastle.
Karmichael Hunt will replace Ashley-Cooper and partner Kurtley Beale in the centres while 23-year-old Mack Mason is the new five-eighth.
In promoting Mason for his first start of the season, Gibson admits he's also investing in the future with Foley's playing days at the Waratahs beyond 2019 uncertain.
"We're aware his contract ends with us and with Australia at the end of this year," Gibson said.
"I'm not sure what he's going to do. We'll wait to find out.
"(But) Bernard indicated this could potentially be his last year, (that) he's going to move offshore, and we needed someone who's going to be here long term and we saw that in Mack."
Mason is in his third season at the Tahs and Gibson has no doubts he is ready to start after serving a long apprenticeship.
"Through the trial period Mack played all those games. We wouldn't be putting him in there if we didn't have confidence in him," he said.
"He's been patiently waiting for an opportunity over the last two years, working away, and he gets that on Friday night.
In the forwards, Michael Wells gets his first start of the season at No.8 in place of Jack Dempsey, who has has also been given a spell, while Lachlan Swinton covers the injured Jed Holloway.
Holloway sustained rib cartilage damage in last week's win over the Crusaders, prompting Gibson to start Swinton at blindside flanker with Ned Hanigan moving to the second row.
Gibson said the changes in no way suggested the Australian conference leaders were disrespecting the bottom-placed Sunwolves, especially after only escaping with a one-point win in their round-two meeting in Tokyo.
"We haven't changed a great deal. We've still got a very good side that we're putting out," he said.
"We have got a number of players of national interest and we have to manage those at some stage and that's what we're starting to do."
WARATAHS: Israel Folau, Cam Clark, Karmichael Hunt, Kurtley Beale, Curtis Rona, Mack Mason, Nick Phipps, Michael Wells, Michael Hooper, (capt), Lachlan Swinton, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Reserves: Andrew Tuala, Rory O'Connor, Chris Talakai, Ryan McCauley, Tom Staniforth, Jake Gordon, Lalakai Foketi, Alex Newsome.
Australian Associated Press
