The Queensland Reds and Otago Highlanders will take unbeaten records into away matches against unpredictable opponents in the weekend's fourth round of rugby's Super 15.
The defending champion Reds face South Africa's Sharks, who won for the first time this season when they returned last week to their home ground at Durban.
The Highlanders face the Wellington Hurricanes, who will play on their home ground for the first time after taking two wins and a loss from their first three matches of the season in South Africa and Australia.
The ACT Brumbies and Cape Town-based Stormers, who are both unbeaten in two matches after early season byes, also face testing fourth-round games.
The Brumbies travel to Tauranga, New Zealand to play the Waikato Chiefs (2-1) and the Stormers are at home to the Auckland Blues, who posted their first win of the season in Pretoria last week against the previously unbeaten Bulls.
In other fourth-round matches, the New South Wales Waratahs host the Western Force and the Melbourne Rebels play the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs. The Bulls, Lions and Canterbury Crusaders have byes.
The Reds, who won last year's tournament playing outstanding attacking rugby, have been accused of "winning ugly" this season after three relatively narrow wins, most recently by 11-6 over Melbourne.
Coach Ewen McKenzie said the hard-fought nature of the Reds' wins so far this season were a consequence of having played three straight derby matches against other Australian teams. He hoped his team's trip to South Africa, where it will play the Sharks and Bulls over the next two weeks, might liberate its game plan.
"It is different brand of football over there, and when we go over we do play it differently," he said.
McKenzie made six personnel changes to the team and revamped his backline, bringing in scrumhalf Ben Lucas. Goalkicker Mike Harris started the first three games at that position, but McKenzie shifted the New Zealander to inside center and dropped Jono Lance.
Wallabies outside back Rod Davies has been named at fullback, with Luke Morahan dropping to the bench. In the forwards, loosehead prop Greg Holmes and lock Van Humphries will each make their first run-on appearances of the year.
McKenzie has also rejigged his back row, recalling openside flanker Beau Robinson, No. 8 Radike Samo and dropping Liam Gill and Jake Schatz to the bench.
"Ben Lucas has been training at flyhalf since the beginning of preseason last year and has featured there in all three of our games so far," McKenzie said. "We have been pleased with the change of tempo and skills he has shown in those opportunities and feel he can offer something different against the Sharks."
Sharks coach John Plumtree said his team fully expected to encounter a Reds team intent on playing fast-paced and open rugby.
"They will present something different on the weekend and we need to be able to cope with that," he said. "They have plenty of speed out wide and if they get fast ball, and we're numbers down, they will hurt us.
The Hurricanes have retained the team that beat the Western Force 46-19 for Saturday's match against the Highlanders, the toughest test of their season to date. The Wellington team was not expected to make as strong a start to the season as it has after shedding many of its senior players at the end of last season.
Its 2-1 beginning to the season has been an outstanding effort from a young and developing side but none of their opponents so far has been as tough as the Highlanders.
Otago's All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson said the Highlanders are expecting to have to work hard to extend their unbeaten record.
"We've talked a lot about it," he said. "We see a lot of the Hurricanes in the position they are in now with where we were last year. They'd been written off and have nothing to lose. A team like that, with no expectations, they can throw it around and back themselves, that's a dangerous team."
Christian Lealiifano will start at flyhalf for the Brumbies in Friday's match against the Chiefs and in one of several changes to the side that narrowly beat the Cheetahs in round three. Lealiifano replaces Matt Toomua who has a knee injury and will form a new inside backs partnership with Ian Prior at scrumhalf and Joe Tomane at inside center.
Wallabies utility Pat McCabe has been named on the wing while rookies Cam Crawford and Zack Holmes will start from the bench. Michael Hooper will make his first starting appearance of the season on the openside flank.
Coach Jake White said the Brumbies would have to improve on recent performances to preserve their unbeaten record.
"While we've been happy to get the wins, which were two hard-fought games of rugby, we are under no illusions that it will take a bigger effort to come back to Australia with a win against the Chiefs," he said.
The Chiefs, coming off a convincing win over the seven-time champion Crusaders, have named All Blacks center Richard Kahui on the wing for Friday's match, breaking his midfield partnership with Sonny Bill Williams. Jackson Willison moves in to center while Tanerau Latimer moves to the blindside flank and Liam Messam to No. 8 in a changed backrow.
Flyhalf Peter Grant will start for the first time this season in the only change to the Stormers' lineup to meet the Blues. Grant replaces Gary van Aswegen who drops to the bench.
The Blues will be without All Blacks lock Anthony Boric who suffered a neck injury in last week's win over the Bulls and is sidelined for six weeks. Filo Paulo replaces Boric in the starting lineup while David Raikuna takes over on the wing from Rene Ranger who is under suspension.
