Christian Leali'ifano will be donning a different jersey when he faces his former ACT Brumbies teammates for the first time, but it's not the only new jersey he is eyeing off.
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The 26-capped Wallaby is entertaining the possibility of changing his international allegiance and putting on a Samoan jersey.
Moana Pasifika's Leali'ifano said putting on a blue national jersey had crossed his mind.
"It is definitely an option," he said.
"Seeing what they do for Samoa has been really impressive, so it's definitely something that I'll consider and we have to explore that down the road when eligibility becomes open."
Players are eligible to represent another country after a stand-down period of three years, but can only switch allegiance once.
The 34-year-old last donned the Wallabies jersey in October 2019, during the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, meaning he will be eligible to play for Samoa come October this year.
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The flyhalf's focus for now, however, remains on Moana's last game of the season on Saturday against his old club.
Leali'ifano will face former Brumbies teammates he racked up 150 caps alongside.
"It's going to be a tough challenge, because I know, being a part of their set up for so long, the quality they're going to bring over," he said.
"The Brumbies will always be a special club to me in my heart. So I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot of my old friends."
He made his return to Super Rugby this season after a two-year hiatus, and earlier this month became the seventh player to reach 1000 points in the competition.
One player quite familiar with the man lining up for Moana has been firing off banter from the safe confides of Brumbies HQ, but all jokes aside the Canberra side need to take away maximum points to secure a home finals series.
"He's talking about running over me, so I'll see if he can run with no head as well," Leali'ifano laughed in response to Scott Sio's texts.
"[But] it's just about zoning in on producing our best game of the year, to finish on a real high at home in front of our friends and family.
"It's gonna be a tough game, we're under no illusions. So we'll give it a real red hot crack, as they say in Aussie."
Off the back of two straight losses, Brumbies coach Dan McKellar labelled the round 15 fixture as a "tricky" one.
As they travel to Auckland to face a Pasifika side - hunting their second win - who have nothing to lose in their last game of the season.
But he had nothing but praise for his former number 10.
"He's just a quality footballer, isn't he," he said.
"He looks sharp, looks fit, he's challenging the line, and also managing the game well and directing them around the park nicely, so he's a real threat.
"He's a great Brumby and always will be. We loved him when he was here and we love him when he's in the opposition.
"It will be a little bit weird seeing him running around against the Brumbies but it's a special occasion and we'll enjoy a beer after the game."
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
