Coach Jason Holland has given first five-eighths Aidan Morgan a chance to set the tactical options for the side on Saturday.
Morgan, returning after two weeks out with concussion, said the local derbies were games all the New Zealand teams looked forward to, and the Hurricanes were looking forward to getting to Dunedin.
The game was the biggest challenge of his Super Rugby career, and he looked forward to the chance.
"I've got progression plans to try and get better each week, like everyone does so it's just making the most of opportunities I do get and working away in the background to become the best player I can be."
Coach Jason Holland said Morgan was a player who saw the game well and who loved to have a crack with the ball.
"He's good at seeing space and identifying that so he just needs to do his role in this game at the weekend and he and Cam [Roigard] and he and Boothie [Jamie Booth] and I'm sure he'll do that well. He doesn't have to force anything or try and do anything magic so he understands that well now and he's getting better from week to week."
Holland was impressed when he saw Morgan in action for King's College in Auckland, for how he ran the game.
"I loved how he was a threat on attack but also how he saw space. We did a bit of work watching him and we enjoy his ability to have a crack but also his ability to see space and react, and find it with kick pressure and those sorts of things."
Holland said while it was nice to be sitting in second position on the points ladder, what was most pleasing was the growth he could see in the side's game, and the players were happy turning up to work and getting into their routines.
"Where you are on the table is the outcome of all the little things happening around here, so we're not getting too carried away with ourselves. We understand it's early. We've got a pretty tough run at the back end of the competition [away to the Chiefs and Blues and home to the Crusaders] before we go to the playoffs, hopefully. So I'm happy with how we're going.
"But we've got to keep doing the right thing, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday."