Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau will make a timely comeback for the NSW Waratahs' vital Super 14 clash with the Highlanders in Invercargill on Friday night.

Compounding the side's worrying late-season injury woes, Polota-Nau hurt his shoulder in the round-nine loss to the Crusaders but coach Chris Hickey on Tuesday confirmed the big unit would travel to New Zealand on Wednesday.

Polota-Nau will replace Adam Freier, who has been ruled out after suffering a hamstring strain in his long-awaited comeback game against the Brumbies last Saturday.

In the only other change to the starting side, Dan Palmer has been named at loosehead prop after a calf injury to Sekope Kepu sidelined the Test representative for a month.

"It's good to get Tatafu back considering we've got three other international front-rowers who weren't available for selection," Waratahs coach Chris Hickey said.

"Your depth gets tested when you suffer injuries in similar positions, but Dan Palmer showed in the last 15 minutes against the Brumbies that he's certainly up to the task at loosehead."

Injured Wallabies loosehead Benn Robinson remains at least one more week away from a return, with Jeremy Tilse named as the back-up prop.

The fifth-placed Tahs had been hoping Robinson would be available but spider fractures in his forearm are healing slower than expected.

"If it was the best long-term decision, we would have put Benn in there," Hickey said.

"But this is not the last game of the year. We've still got at least three games and hopefully four or five to play, so we just had to make some long-term decisions there.

"If Benn opened up those fractures again, then he's probably out for another three weeks and that's a significant impact on the team."

The Waratahs are also hopeful luckless centre Rob Horne will recover in time from a buttock strain to take on the Chiefs in another crunch match next week.

Hickey has made two more selection changes on the bench, with Chris Thomson picked in the match-day 22 for the first time this year and Australian Sevens captain Patrick McCutcheon the new reserve back-rower.

Thomson earned eight Super caps in his debut season last year, while McCutcheon last toured with the Waratahs for the 2008 Super 14 final against the Crusaders in Christchurch as 23rd man.

Waratahs: Kurtley Beale, Lachie Turner, Tom Carter, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Daniel Halangahu, Josh Holmes, Ben Mowen, Phil Waugh (capt), Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Dean Mumm, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Dan Palmer. Res: Damien Fitzpatrick, Jeremy Tilse, Chris Thomson, Patrick McCutcheon, Luke Burgess, Rory Sidey, Sosene Anesi, Chris Alcock (23rd man).

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