James Slipper set to start for ACT Brumbies in Highlanders Super Rugby clash

James Slipper has been drafted into the Brumbies' starting XV for a clash with the Otago Highlanders at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

The 96-Test Wallaby comes into the starting side with Scott Sio shuffling back to the bench as the Brumbies look to extend their lead atop the Australian conference.

The Brumbies remain the only Australian team with a win under their belt this season and a win over a New Zealand-based rival would boost the hype surrounding the club.

They are hunting for their 11th consecutive win on their home turf, which would equal the second longest streak in club history.

Now Brumbies officials are hoping crowd figures can match the results with an average of just 7267 rolling in over the opening fortnight.

Assistant coach Peter Hewat says the low crowd numbers are in part due to how the game is perceived, adamant the quality of rugby is on the rise.

"We're just trying to keep everything inside the walls, we're not too worried about what's going on outside," Hewat said.

"If we can keep winning, it's nice, keep continuing to improve our performance, hopefully the rest will look after itself.

"For us to start worrying about anything else, we're probably getting a bit ahead of ourselves there.

"We've had two good results with two good wins, but we know we've still got a lot of improvement in our game. We've got to expect the unexpected."

Will Miller will get his first chance to impress in the No. 7 jersey with Tom Cusack left out of the squad after suffering a concussion in last week's win over the Queensland Reds.

Emerging lock Darcy Swain is determined to make the most of his recall into the starting side after missing round two with a shoulder injury.

Lachlan McCaffrey and Len Ikitau are poised to make their first appearances of the season having been included on the bench.

Tom Ross has made his way onto the bench to join the front-row rotation.

"It's the same rotation systems we worked last year. Slips has been playing well off the bench and he's looking forward to a start this week," Hewat said.

"That same rotation worked well last year. Tommy Ross comes on to that tighthead side [from the bench].

"Again, we just want to reward performances for those Runners games and make sure they count for something.

"[Sio and Slipper] complement each other really well."