Old schoolmates James Slipper and Rob Simmons were supposed to be flat out getting a run for Queensland in this year's Super 14.

On Saturday (0100 Sunday AEDT) they'll make their run-on debuts together for Australia.

The two 21-year-olds played at the same Gold Coast school from year 11 before representing Queensland in junior sides and going on to the Australian schoolboys.

Prop Slipper still has only three Super Rugby caps, while lock Simmons has 11 after he was fast-tracked at the Reds because of the injury to James Horwill.

Remarkably, Slipper will play his 13th Test against Italy in Florence after he was named to start this week ahead of the man once rated the world's best loosehead prop, Benn Robinson.

Simmons, who grew up idolising Wallabies great John Eales, earns his fifth cap, replacing Mark Chisholm.

The Australian scrum's ill-fated outing against England in Perth earlier this year made an impression on Slipper, who has excelled on this spring tour off the bench in Tests and in the tough midweek matches.

He won't forget that first lesson when, despite an Australian victory, the Wallabies' young front row were pulverised.

It's a simple lesson, too.

"Just push hard, just be committed," he said.

"It's a totally different way of scrummaging to what I was used to at the time.

"They were big boys, it's more technical, you have to be against them.

"It was more about scrums than anything. Around the field they were pretty slow."

Unlike the rise to the top of the 113kg young prop, who can play on either side of the scrum.

He faces one of the toughest tests in world rugby at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, rubbing ears with Argentina-born Italy front-rower Martin Castrogiovanni.

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