Angus Bell will make his long-awaited return from injury against the Springboks this weekend, while rising star Max Jorgensen is poised to take his international bow as Australia seeks an unlikely win in Perth.
It is only Round 2 of the Rugby Championship but already the Wallabies are under huge pressure, Joe Schmidt's side belted 33-7 by the world champions in what was a huge reality check for Australia after they had enjoyed an undefeated July campaign.
Australia's scrum was one of many areas exploited by South Africa, with the Springboks winning multiple penalties on their own feed and applying loads of pressure on the Wallabies' ball.
The return of Bell should help solidify the loosehead side, but with Taniela Tupou again on family duty following the death of his father, Allan Alaalatoa retains the No. 3 jersey and the captaincy. There is also a first run-on start for hooker Josh Nasser, the Queenslander replacing Reds teammate Matt Faessler while Billy Pollard comes onto the bench.
"You've got to start somewhere," Schmidt replied when asked if Bell was ready to go after what has been a troublesome toe injury. "If it's not here, the Argentinians looked pretty good last week as well. And if it's not them, it's the All Blacks. The nature of this competition is we've got three out of the four semi-finalists from the World Cup in a competition with us. So there's nothing that's going to be easy.
"So why not now? Angus is confident. He's worked hard, and he's feeling well able to get started. I think starting him allows us to better control his minutes a little bit as well. He goes straight from the warm-up, builds a rhythm, and gets that confidence to go straight into the game rather than bringing him off the bench, which can be a bit more complicated."
Angus Blyth, meanwhile, comes in to replace Nick Frost at lock after the Brumbies second-rower was one of two players to be ruled out with concussion, with Jeremy Williams also unable to take his place on the bench.
There are two changes to the starting backline with veteran scrum-half Nic White brought in from outside last week's matchday 23 and straight into the No. 9 jersey in place of Jake Gordon, while Marika Koroibete replaces the injured Filipo Daugunu [broken leg] on the left wing.
Koroibete is the first overseas-based player to feature under Schmidt this year.
Gordon, meanwhile, had an unhappy afternoon in Brisbane, with his box kick, which had been on point against Wales last month, woefully inaccurate early in last week's contest. White has not played since the Western Force's final game of Super Rugby Pacific in May but brings with him a wealth of experience and a previous connection with Noah Lolesio from his time at the Brumbies.
Schmidt said he thought Lolesio had been a little "burdened" by the pressure last week and hoped the added experience of White, alongside the existing centre pairing of Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau could make a difference.
"There's a lot of responsibility falling onto Noah's shoulders," Schmidt said. "When you're a game driver and you're in a new team and you're trying to drive the team around the field as well as play your own game really accurately, I think inevitably you sometimes struggle to see all the spaces in front of you because you can't see past the big South African boys that are coming your way.
"So I'm hoping that it's not so much Nic that takes the pressure off him. I thought Hunter and Lenny did a good job last week, and hopefully they can take a bit more pressure off him.
"Andrew Kellaway, he's got good experience. As mentioned, Marika's got 59 caps, and Tom Wright's got experience. I think they need to share the load a little bit, because I agree, Noah is... he looked a little bit burdened, and if we can unburden him a little bit, he's got a good game that he can bring to the table."
But it is the inclusion of Jorgensen among the replacements that will generate much of the pre-match discussion, with the Waratahs flyer having missed the backend of Super Rugby because of a hamstring injury picked up while playing for Randwick in the Shute Shield.
That followed a knee injury that ended his 2023 Super campaign and then a broken leg, which he suffered at training during last year's Rugby World Cup, prompting discussion as to whether the 19-year-old was being brought on too quickly.
But Jorgensen has clearly impressed Schmidt in the fortnight he has been in camp with the Wallabies and will now look to add impact when called upon on Saturday night at Optus Stadium.
There is another potential Test debut waiting on the bench after Fijian-born Seru Uru was included alongside the Brumbies' Tom Hooper. Both players have the ability to cover the second-row and No. 6, affording Schmidt several different combinations when he does look for fresh legs on Saturday night.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday unveiled a stunning 10 changes to the starting lineup that rocketed to a 21-0 lead in Brisbane last week, including handing the captaincy to lock Salmaan Moerat and Test debuts to scrum-half Morne van den Berg and second-rower Ruan Nortje.
Asked about the mas Springboks changes, Schmidt rejected suggestions it was disrespectful and instead said he believed that just like he was doing, Erasmus was also eager to learn more about the depth and talents of his wider squad.
"Probably the same way as we're trying to work out a broader squad at the moment," he said. "I just see them as, having been involved in international rugby for 10 years, you've got to be transitioning your squad. I think they had, I don't know what the number was, 30 or plus last week in their 23. So there is a necessity around building a depth in your squad.
"The other thing that my perception would be, South Africa have depth."
AUSTRALIA: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Marika Koroibete, Noah Lolesio, Nic White; Harry Wilson, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Angus Blyth, Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Nasser, Angus Bell.
Replacements: Billy Pollard, James Slipper, Zane Nonggorr, Tom Hooper, Seru Uru, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen.