Time spent as a shadow outside centre for the Wallabies has Lachie Turner primed for his first Super Rugby game for NSW in the No.13 jersey against the Cheetahs on Saturday night.

Turner has been shifted from the wing to replace the injured Rob Horne for the clash with the battling South African outfit at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The flying Turner played outside centre for the Waratahs in their 41-13 trial win over Fiji Warriors last month before he returned to his regular position for the Super Rugby season.

And while he's also played outside centre for his club side Eastwood, it's the lessons learned recently with the Wallabies that Turner will reference against the Cheetahs.

"I was called upon last year to potentially fill the void at 13 on the spring tour if anything happened to Adam Ashley-Cooper ... I watched him pretty closely and I've learned a lot from him," Turner said.

"Defensively I know my role and it helped I got a lot of training there over the spring tour.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity of ripping into something new to see what I can offer the guys at 13."

Turner admits Saturday night will be his first real test as a centre and he is aware of the standards now expected when you run out in the Waratahs' No.13 shirt.

"Rob (Horne) is a great player and will be sorely missed, he gives a lot to our side," Turner said.

"Hopefully I can give the guys as much as Horney's been giving us over the last couple of weeks because his performances have been great."

One of Turner's main goals for the Cheetahs match is to get the ball to the edges as much as possible.

"We've got one of Australia's best wingers out there in Drew Mitchell, so we'll be trying to shift him a fair bit of ball," Turner said.

"We've also got Kurtley and young `Afa' (Atieli) Pakalani, he's been great ... we've got some great back three players and to starve them of the ball would be pretty silly."

In a revamped Waratahs side that is coming off a bye, elusive Aucklander Pakalani takes over Turner's wing spot in a team to be led by lock Dean Mumm as skipper Phil Waugh rests his ruptured bicep.

Former Brumbies player John Ulugia was promoted over Damien Fitzpatrick to start at hooker against the big Cheetahs pack in place of the injured Tatafu Polota-Nau.

The Waratahs scrum struggled when Fitzpatrick came on in the last-start 33-18 loss to the Crusaders.

Pat McCutcheon takes Waugh's flanker role, Wallabies star Berrick Barnes returns at five-eighth after missing the Crusaders loss following a head knock and Benn Robinson returns from the bench to prop up the scrum.

Wallabies No.8 Wycliff Palu also makes his long-awaited return.

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