Heenan is struggling with a shoulder injury, picked up in last week’s 33-21 win over the ACT Brumbies, but will travel with the Reds to NZ next week. He is replaced at No.6 by Luke Doherty. There are no changes to the replacements bench.

New coach Jeff Miller had initially named all six of his Rugby World Cup Wallabies - captain and inside back Elton Flatley, wing Wendell Sailor, fullback Chris Latham, lock Nathan Sharpe, and back rowers David Croft and John Roe - in the starting XV for the game, along with three other Wallabies - props Nick Stiles and Fletcher Dyson and Heenan.

Heenan, of course, has now been forced out.

Out-of-favour Wallaby centre Steve Kefu, meanwhile, has been named on the bench along with lock Van Humphries, who will play his first game for the Reds since moving form the NSW Waratahs.

The Reds got their pre-season campaign off to a strong start with a comfortable 33-21 victory over the ACT Brumbies, although the Brumbies did not field a number of their stars, including Wallaby captain George Gregan, for the game.

Flatley, as he did for the Wallabies in the World Cup and Queensland last week, will again start at inside centre, with Julian Huxley, who starred against the Brumbies, starting in the No.10 jersey.

Huxley combined well with 20-year-old scrum-half Josh Valentine to form an exciting new halfback pairing, while Flatley, the Wallaby vice-captain at the RWC, seems to be making the centre berth his own.

Reds: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Wendell Sailor, 13 Junior Pelesasa, 12 Elton Flatley (captain), 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Julian Huxley, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 John Roe, 7 David Croft, 6 Luke Doherty, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Van Humphries, 3 Fletcher Dyson, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Nick Stiles (vice-captain).Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Pete Niumata, 18 Anthony Mathison, 19 Rudi Vedelago, 20 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 21 Luke Doherty, 22 Tom McVerry, 23 Tim Atkinson, 24 Steve Kefu, 25 Scott Barton, 26 Drew Mitchell.

Kick-off: 19.30 (09.30 GMT)

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