A patient approach has Brumbies hooker Connal McInerney firing as he prepares to return from a concussion.
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The 28-year-old has endured a torrid season, suffering a pair of head knocks in rounds one and five.
McInerney has not played since the second concussion as the Brumbies took a cautious approach to his return. The hooker spent an additional week on the sidelines to ensure there are no lingering issues.
The forward will make his return via the bench in Sunday's clash with the Otago Highlanders at Canberra Stadium.
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Coach Stephen Larkham has made a handful of changes as the team looks to build on last week's tight victory over the Melbourne Rebels. Ollie Sapsford has replaced Tamati Tua at inside centre and Hudson Creighton will have his first taste of Super Rugby this season after being named as a substitute.
The centre has endured a frustrating run of injuries and made a successful return to the field for Queanbeyan in the John I Dent Cup.
The Brumbies opted not to send McInerney back to clubland, instead taking a cautious approach with hooker.
"Like any injury, but particularly with the head, you've got to make sure they're fully recovered," Larkham said. "[Connal's] gone through the demanding rigmarole there.
"It was meant to be a six-week lay off, we gave him seven weeks just to make sure we're ticking every box and giving the brain the best opportunity to fully recover."
McInerney's head knocks came as he signed a contract extension and looked to fight his way back into the No.2 jumper.
The arrival of Larkham as coach provided a fresh start and the hooker won the race for the starting slot for round one. The outing lasted just four minutes.
A second head knock followed in the loss to the Crusaders and Larkham said McInerney has ridden the full wave of emotions over the past couple of months.
"When it happened he was a little bit disappointed in himself in terms of where he got to on the field and the position he put himself in to make the tackle," Larkham said.
"There was a little bit of anxiety around that first and then we've just taken our time with it and given him every chance to feel really confident and comfortable.
"He's in a really good space from a recovery point of view. After the initial shock of the injury he's settled quite nicely and he's comfortable with where he's at right now."
ACT Brumbies v Otago Highlanders
1. James Slipper, 2. Lachlan Lonergan, 3. Allan Alaalatoa (c), 4. Darcy Swain, 5. Nick Frost, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Jahrome Brown, 8. Pete Samu, 9. Nic White, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Corey Toole, 12. Ollie Sapsford, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Andy Muirhead, 15. Tom Wright. REPLACEMENTS 16. Connal McInerney, 17. Blake Schoupp, 18. Rhys Van Nek, 19. Tom Hooper, 20. Luke Reimer, 21. Ryan Lonergan, 22. Jack Debreczeni, 23. Hudson Creighton.
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