Brumbies recruit Chris Alcock will start at openside flanker for the Sydney Rays against the Canberra Vikings on Saturday afternoon and will go head to head against a handful of his new teammates.

The 28-year-old played a timely cameo for the Rays last weekend against Brisbane City at Ballymore, coming off the bench and grabbing a try and a number of crucial turnovers.

Alcock was at the Waratahs from 2010 until 2012 and has spent the past three seasons at the Western Force.

In that time he has notched up 55 Super Rugby games (25 at the Tahs and 30 at the Force) and is considered one of the most dogmatic on-ballers in the country.

He played NRC for the Greater Sydney Rams in 2014 and saddled up for the Perth Spirit in 2015.

When he knew he was heading east from Perth Alcock contacted Rays head coach Simon Cron to see if he could train and keep his fitness up with the Rays group.

But a number of injuries in the backrow ranks has seen him get and grab his chance.

Alain Miriallakis, the Belgian international, is another new face in the starting XV, coming in for Lawrance Hunting who started last weekend at Ballymore.

Hunting was forced to quit with heat stroke in the humid Brisbane conditions last weekend and came into the NRC after a huge Shute Shield season with Northern Suburbs.

Miriallakis , the 30-year-old NSW Country player of the year, came on last week and did extremely well, settling the scrum and getting around the field.

He only joined the Rays group earlier that week and has settled into the team’s processes and playing patterns.

Ezra Luxton and Rory O’Connor will switch roles this week, with Luxton starting and O’Connor working off the bench.

Josh Turner’s role this weekend will be decided when and if he comes through a fitness test on a lower leg injury.

Turner scored a nice try off some nice lead up work from Con Foley and Harry Jones and was active throughout the game

The availability of Waratahs prop Angus Ta’avao will decided a bit closer to the game and after he gets through Thursday night’s training session at Macquarie University.

Sam Lane has been bracketed on the bench but also needs to get through Thursday night’s training session and cool down well.

Sydney Rays team to play Canberra Vikings

Ezra Luxton, Damien Fitzpatrick, Alian Miriallakis, Connor Vest, James Brown, Jack Dempsey, Chris Alcock, Michael Wells, Matt Lucas, Angus Sinclair, Harry Jones, Irae Simone, Con Foley, Lochie Creagh, Johnathan Malo/Josh Turner. Reserves: James Hilterbrand, Rory O’Connor, Angus Ta’avao/Lawrance Hunting, Adrian Hall, Michael Smith, Dewet Roos, Sam Lane/Johnathan Malo, Seb Wileman.