Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has beefed up Queensland's pack and picked three front-rowers on the bench in preparation for a no-holds-barred Super 14 Shark attack in Durban.

The Sharks return to Absa Stadium after four weeks on the road and their Springbok-laden forward pack will be confident of overpowering the Reds.

In the expectation of a massive test up front, McKenzie on Thursday made six changes to the starting team which defeated the Cheetahs 31-10 in Bloemfontein.

Melbourne Storm recruit Will Chambers is the only new face in the backline, while veteran duo Sean Hardman and Daniel Braid and firebrand lock Adam Byrnes have bolstered the pack with 200 Super games of experience.

Rising rake Saia Faingaa, rookie second-rower Rob Simmons and burly No.8 Leroy Houston have all been rotated back to the bench.

Teenager Jake Schatz has been rewarded for his display at open-side flanker in Braid's injury absence and will play at No.8 - remarkably giving him starts in all three back-row positions in his debut season.

The Reds' improving scrum was penalised heavily in Bloemfontein and McKenzie's surprise choice to select an extra prop, in Jack Kennedy, on 5-2 bench shows he's on guard for a set-piece assault from the likes of John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai Mtawirira.

Having Houston, Simmons and three front-rowers on the bench is designed to ensure Queensland can finish the match - their toughest in a three-game South African tour - strongly.

"The way we are setting the team up is to make sure we are very competitive across 80 minutes," McKenzie said.

"We've got to make sure we have some impactful players in the last part of the game.

"The Sharks play a very physical brand of rugby and they look for opportunities in games to impose themselves. And every time they pick a team they basically have 12 Springboks on average.

"We've got a group of players with a mixture of experience levels and we've been relying heavily on some of our younger guys."

McKenzie has consistently changed his team to ensure workload is shared, opportunities given and his entire squad is motivated.

Chambers' first start at outside centre, which has seen Digby Ioane move to the wing where he'll prove a bigger threat with kick-returns, and Kennedy's promotion are two such examples.

The versatility of reserve inside back Ben Lucas allows the Reds to play five forwards on their bench as they look for a fourth straight win.

Queensland hold a fine 10-5 Super rugby record over the Sharks but will go in as underdogs after the home side finished their Australasian tour with wins over the Highlanders and Hurricanes.

Queensland: Peter Hynes, Luke Morahan, Will Chambers, Anthony Faingaa, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Will Genia (capt); Jake Schatz, Daniel Braid, Scott Higginbotham, Van Humphries, Adam Byrnes, Laurie Weeks, Sean Hardman, Ben Daley. Res: Saia Faingaa, Greg Holmes, Jack Kennedy, Rob Simmons, Leroy Houston, Ben Lucas, Rod Davies.

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