The side has also been boosted by the inclusion of hooker Liam Coltman, who will come off the bench.
Coltman has been tied up with the All Blacks for the past two months and was named earlier this week in the 19 players travelling to Japan to take on the Brave Blossoms
Collins (25) will look to take his side into the final of the Mitre 10 Cup Championship and play his 50th game in a career which has had its share of ups and downs.
Collins played for the New Zealand Schools side in 2011 while at his last year at Otago Boys' High School. He made his first-class debut for Otago the following year against Southland in Balclutha and was in and out of the Otago side for the next three years.
He played in the Otago midfield for the first three years of his Otago career but midway through the 2015 season he made his debut at fullback against Wellington.
He then left to play a season in Wales for the Llanelli Scarlets.
He impressed while playing for the Welsh side and came back quicker and stronger for Otago in 2016.
He played a game in the midfield at the start of that season but went back to fullback and there he has stayed.
Collins would have brought up the 50 game mark earlier but missed all of last season because of a leg injury.
Collins, who has played for the Blues in the past couple of seasons, has grown in stature over the past couple of years. The spell in Wales was a real boost to his game as he got quicker and grew in confidence and has turned into a real asset for the Otago team.
Otago has made just one change to its starting side which beat Waikato last week. On the left wing Vilimoni Koroi comes in to replace Jona Nareki who damaged his scrotum in the game against Waikato.
Koroi will be itching to get a start but Nareki's absence is a blow as he has been in fine form all season.
Otago coach Ben Herring said there was a temptation to pick Coltman in the starting side but he wanted to reward Sekonaia Pole for good performances over the past couple of weeks.
Taylor Haugh starts as the outside back reserve with Josh Timu coming back from an injured thumb and Matt Whaanga still not quite right from a ligament injury in his foot. Lock Tom Rowe has recovered from a shoulder injury and will come off the bench.
Openside flanker Slade McDowall gets the start ahead of the returning James Lentjes, a reward for a top first half against Waikato last week.
Hawke's Bay will finalise its team this morning and head south later today.
It will look to halfback Brad Weber and No8 Gareth Evans to guide its team round the paddock while it has some exciting talent out wide.