Think rookie playmaker Bayley Kuenzle is feeling the heat as he prepares to line up against a rival with 52 Wallabies caps to his name? Think again.
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ACT Brumbies flyhalf Kuenzle is poised to take on the biggest test of his short career when he faces James O'Connor and the Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
The Reds will come to Canberra in search of top spot in the Super Rugby AU standings while the Brumbies seek to gain an eight-point buffer at the halfway mark of the season.
Kuenzle's first start against the Western Force - a 24-0 shutout in the absence of superstar rookie Noah Lolesio - suggests he will relish the occasion.
The 22-year-old has been handed the job of steering the Brumbies towards the finals with a severe hamstring strain to keep Lolesio sidelined for up to eight weeks.
MORE RUGBY UNION
Kuenzle is determined to make the most of his shot, ready to unleash a skill set boasting devastating carries and poise while playing flat to the defensive line.
"In the first game [against the Reds in January] I was on the bench and didn't get on. Hopefully I get a good amount of minutes next week," Kuenzle said.
"We had a confidence-building win [against the Force] so hopefully we can build that into this week against the Reds.
"We build our game of playing with spark when we get a turnover, we play to width and we play eyes up footy. That's the good thing about our attack coach [Peter Hewat], he really enforces that on us at training.
"We executed that pretty well early with a couple of runaway tries. We've got room for improvement. Our shape still needs to be a bit better.
"We can play our long edge through our piggies and release our big backs more. Plenty to improve on."
How Kuenzle would fill the void left by Wallabies hopeful Lolesio was a major source of intrigue leading into the Brumbies' comprehensive win over the Force.
He proved he is up to the task - but that came as little surprise to Brumbies coach Dan McKellar, who is adamant he would not throw a young player to the wolves before they're ready for the battle.
Kuenzle had shown enough to prove his worth when Lolesio was forced off the field a week prior.
Now the challenge is backing it up against a Reds outfit seen as the most likely to challenge the unbeaten Brumbies for the Australian title in the rebooted season.
"I felt pretty comfortable straight away," Kuenzle said.
"I knew I had put the work in during the week and I just had to execute and do my role. I just had to focus on what I can do and not really focus on other people's jobs. I pretty much did my role and the rest took care of itself.
"Last week [against the NSW Waratahs] helped a bit, getting minutes under my belt. I felt good, I felt confident. I had a good prep during the week and I knew the lads would help me out anyway."
SUPER RUGBY AU ROUND FIVE
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.15pm.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
