Wallabies star Nick Phipps has regained the NSW Waratahs’ No.9 jumper for Saturday’s Super Rugby showdown with the table-topping Crusaders in Christchurch.

Phipps replaces Jake Gordon for what will be the halfback’s first start in a tumultuous season dogged by injury and controversy.

Coach Daryl Gibson said he always planned on rotating his halfbacks during NSW’s torrid four-game stretch of matches against New Zealand heavyweights.

While he also wants to give Phipps and Gordon the chance to press for Wallabies selection before the June Test series against Ireland, Gibson believes Phipps’ up-tempo game will be needed against the defending champion Crusaders.

“Nick’s such a competitor. The chances he’s been given when he comes on, you can see the speed with which he wants to play the game and then also I’m looking at those fixtures and trying to match both their skill sets to those games,” he said on Thursday.

“Nick and Jake have got lovely contrasting styles and I think Nick’s strengths in this game are really important.

“The way he does speed the game up with his fitness and that strength will be an important factor.”

In other changes, Curtis Rona has replaced Lalakai Foketi at outside centre, with Shambeckler Vui earning a spot on the bench at the expense of veteran prop Paddy Ryan.

WARATAHS: Israel Folau, Cam Clark, Curtis Rona, Kurtley Beale, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps, Michael Wells, Michael Hooper (capt), Will Miller, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Tom Robertson. Reserves: Hugh Roach, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Shambeckler Vui, Tom Staniforth, Jed Holloway, Jake Gordon, Lalakai Foketi, Bryce Hegarty.