Under an agreement between All Black selectors and Super rugby coaches, leading All Blacks are expected to miss two games of the Super rugby season so they can be reasonably fresh when the Rugby World Cup rolls around in September.
The Highlanders' three All Blacks - fullback Ben Smith, halfback Aaron Smith and centre Malakai Fekitoa - have started every game of the season so far.
Coach Jamie Joseph has opted to rest them all at once in a match against the Australian conference leaders.
After the win over the Blues last Saturday, Joseph said the plan to rest his All Blacks was changing week by week, but they were due for a rest.
He has rolled the dice in deciding to put all three All Blacks on the sidelines but it may be wiser to get the games out of the way before the team heads to South Africa.
The Highlanders are obviously a lesser team without their three All Blacks and it will be up to others to come forward. The attacking onus will be on the outside men, and much will fall on the shoulders of first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga.
Fekitoa has been replaced by Richard Buckman. He is a more than capable footballer and was one of the side's best last year but it is a big ask for him to play centre in a Super rugby game when he played about 20 minutes last week in his first real outing of the season.
Trent Renata comes in at fullback and he will have to take a big step up from the form he displayed for Otago last year.
Halfback Fumiaki Tanaka gets his first start for nearly two years, while Josh Renton takes his place in the reserves and will make his debut at this level should he take the field.
With the Highlanders playing the struggling Sharks next week at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Joseph may be tempted to give the three All Blacks another break and get the mandatory stand-down period out of the road.
After the Sharks game on May 1, the side has a three-week road trip to South Africa and Perth and then returns to play three New Zealand teams, all outside Dunedin, to see out the regular season.
With the competition so close, the games between the New Zealand sides are going to be vital.
Fekitoa and Aaron Smith started every game last year for the Highlanders and Ben Smith missed just one match.
No8 Nasi Manu, flanker Elliot Dixon and wingers Patrick Osborne and Waisake Naholo have also started every game, while prop Josh Hohneck has missed just one start.
Manu, Dixon and the two wingers will front up again tomorrow night, while Hohneck has been moved to the bench with Pingi Tala'apitaga getting a start.
In other changes, lock Mark Reddish has damaged his ankle and has been replaced in the starting line-up by Tom Franklin.
With Alex Ainley out with a broken jaw picked up in a club game, Otago lock Joe Latta comes on to the reserves bench and will make his Super rugby debut if he gets on the field.
Six forwards have been picked for the bench, with Dan Pryor and Gareth Evans loose forward options.
The Brumbies have some injury issues and will not name their side until this afternoon.
