Kodi Nikorima has been named in the Rabbitohs side to face his former Warriors teammates just five days after his departure from the NZ club was confirmed.
The Kiwis international was officially granted a release by the Warriors on Monday, allowing him to join the Rabbitohs.
With no clause in the deal preventing him from facing his former club, Nikorima was rushed straight onto South Sydney’s bench by coach Jason Demetriou for Saturday's Magic Round clash in Brisbane.
Elsewhere in the South Sydney side, Jai Arrow will play lock in the absence of star captain Cameron Murray, who has a neck and shoulder injury.
Cody Walker will take over as captain after days of questions over his on and off-field temper.
Demetriou also opted to go without rookie centre Isaiah Tass, bringing in Jaxson Paulo.
In other NRL action, Cronulla have broken up their all-conquering halves combination and moved Nicho Hynes to fullback to cover for the bans of Will Kennedy and Jesse Ramien.
With the Sharks blitzing the competition in the first nine rounds to sit inside the top four, coach Craig Fitzgibbon was forced to separate Hynes and Matt Moylan on Tuesday.
Hynes will now wear the No.1 jersey with Kennedy suspended for the next two weeks, while Braydon Trindall comes from reserve grade and into the halves against Canberra.
Fitzgibbon would normally have had Connor Tracey as an option at the back, but he is now playing in the centres to cover for Ramien.
Both Kennedy and Ramien accepted their two and three-match bans on Tuesday, after the former was sent off and latter sin-binned in their win over the Warriors.
The Sharks have rugby sevens convert Lachlan Miller lurking in the reserves, and he would be the other option to go to fullback if Fitzgibbon wanted Hynes in his halves.
The shake-up is one of several across the NRL for Magic Round.
Melbourne have been forced into moving Nick Meaney to fullback to cover Ryan Papenhuyzen's injuries, with Dean Ieremia taking the vacant wing spot and Marion Seve granted an exemption to come in at centre.
Gold Coast have welcomed Jayden Campbell back at fullback for their clash with an unchanged St George Illawarra, pushing AJ Brimson to five-eighth among four other changes.
AAP contributed to this report.
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