Damian McKenzie still has one All Blacks stand-down game to sit out but it won't be the one against the Brumbies on Saturday.

The Chiefs have hedged their bets, and will rest Anton Lienert-Brown from Saturday's Super Rugby match against the Brumbies in Hamilton, but not fellow backline star Damian McKenzie.

The duo both still had one of their two required All Blacks stand-down games to serve, and McKenzie's second sit-out will come in next weekend's final-round home match against the Hurricanes - a game in which the Chiefs should welcome back fellow All Black Brodie Retallick from his pectoral muscle injury.

It's also, of course, a fixture which will have a big bearing on the make-up of the quarterfinals, though. So to have left resting their game-breaking first five-eighth till the death is a risky manoeuvre indeed.

There have been ample opportunities during the campaign where parking a marquee player would have seemed far more suitable, but it seems the Chiefs have instead been content with the theory of 'get points in the bank for as long as possible, qualify for the playoffs, then rest McKenzie and back ourselves to win from wherever we end up, with a fresh No 10 going into the finals'.

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Having got to this point with Lienert-Brown and McKenzie still needing a sit down, assistant coach Neil Barnes said the thinking around who misses this week and who misses next week was not tactical, but already planned, with Lienert-Brown having booked holiday time this week in Fiji, to stay on after last weekend's game against the Highlanders.

"One of them was going to go one week and one of them the other, so it just fitted with what Anton's plans were," Barnes said.

"It's not something we're tactically going 'we need to win this one' or 'perhaps we can risk losing this one and win the one after', we're just playing it week by week, we trust the players that are here to do the job."

With Lienert-Brown out, Sean Wainui has been shifted from the wing - where he has done a fine job after coming in uncontracted - to his more accustomed spot at centre, and Shaun Stevenson has been promoted from the bench to the left flank, in what is the only change to the backline which performed so impressively in the 45-22 win in Suva.

HANNAH PETERS/GETTY IMAGES Anton Lienert-Brown had made holiday plans to stay on in Fiji after last weekend's game.

In the pack there is also just one change, with hooker Nathan Harris returning from a week of paternity leave following the birth of his daughter. He replaces Liam Polwart, who has been rested, with Samisoni Taukei'aho taking a spot in the reserves.

The bench also sees a place for flanker Lachlan Boshier, who replaces Mitch Karpik, having recovered from appendicitis suffered in early May; while midfielder Johnny Fa'auli also comes in, having started 10 games at second five-eighth this season but not having made the 23 the past three games.

While the Chiefs will take plenty of confidence from their superb showing against the Highlanders, the Brumbies will bring plenty of belief of their own, having knocked over the Hurricanes 24-12 in Canberra as they cling to an outside chance of playing finals footy.

PHIL WALTER/GETTY IMAGES Brodie Retallick will miss one more week with his pectoral muscle injury.

"They've earned a lot of respect from me over the years," Barnes said. "They're a very clinical team. They're a very good forward pack and their backs have got great strike power. So we're taking nothing for granted at all."

So how to replicate that stunning start to last weekend's game, which resulted in the jaw-dropping 42-0 halftime scoreline?

"That's a great question, if I could answer that then I'd be a bloody All Blacks coach by now, I guess," Barnes said. "We were tinkering with things and it just panned out on the day. I'd like to think we're working hard to get them into exactly the same position this week, and it's up to the boys to put it on the paddock."

Chiefs: Solomon Alaimalo, Toni Pulu, Sean Wainui, Charlie Ngatai (co-c), Shaun Stevenson, Damian McKenzie, Brad Weber, Liam Messam, Sam Cane (co-c), Luke Jacobson, Tyler Ardron, Michael Allardice, Angus Ta'avao, Nathan Harris, Karl Tu'inukuafe. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Sam Prattley, Jeff Thwaites, Jesse Parete, Lachlan Boshier, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Marty McKenzie, Johnny Fa'auli.

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