When teams like undisputed Mitre 10 Cup top dogs and Premiership title favourites Canterbury come to Tauranga, it's handy to be able to throw as much hard-headed experience as you can muster out to face them.

So it's a good position for the Steamers to be in that they can name Tanerau Latimer in their starting lineup for tomorrow's Tauranga Domain encounter, for the first time since 2013.

The addition of the 80-match Steamer to the run-on 15 is one of a number of changes coach Clayton McMillan has made to his 23 for their attempt to go three from three in this year's campaign, after opening victories over Taranaki and Counties Manukau.

He's not the only wily veteran joining the pack to take on the champions. Prop Ross Geldenhuys will also add the weight of his experience to the effort.

It's just his third outing in blue and gold colours after coming off the bench in the first two matches, but his years around the Super Rugby traps in South Africa and New Zealand and his Mitre 10 Cup exploits with the high-flying Tasman outfit in recent times put him in the premium addition category for the Steamers.

Latimer comes into blindside flanker allowing Tyler Ardron to move back into the second row for the Steamers' 2018 Tauranga Domain debut.

He joins Rotoiti's Baden Wardlaw – coming in for his second Steamers appearance - in an all-new locking combination for the team after Kane Le'aupepe and Aaron Carroll performed the duties in the first two matches.

Hooker continues to be a revolving door position for coach McMillan, with a number of options, including Liam Polwart, remaining on the injured list. Once again however he has experience to call on to fill the number two jersey.

Former Manawatu and Canterbury rake Tom Crozier will be the fourth hooker to pull on the blue and gold hoops this season. Along with Geldenhuys, 35-cap Steamer Solomona Sakalia completes the front row, replacing last week's trio of James Lay, Angus MacDonald and Jeff Thwaites who all find a place on the bench.

Dynamic back rowers Mitch Karpik and Hoani Matenga are the only remnants of the starting pack in last week's 22-17 defeat of Counties.

Change is the theme of the backline selection as well though the halfback-first five axis of Richard Judd and Mike Delany, who will co-captain the side with Latimer, remain the preferred starting combination.

New Zealand Sevens star Traell Joass gets his first start for the Steamers at centre.

All Black Sevens star Trael Joass gets his first start of the season at centre, with Liam Steel moving to the bench. Terrence Hepetema remains a fixture in the midfield along with Fa'asiu Fuatai on the right wing, but Chase Tiatia moves to the left wing in place of Matt Garland and Kaleb Trask, who starred for the Bay under 19s in their 94-0 thrashing of Taranaki last week, slots into fullback.

Rugby League convert and All Black Sevens utility back Bailey Simonsson is the only new face on the Steamers' bench.

The changes have been prompted by a combination of factors. One of them is the team's injury situation, which Clayton says is slowly on the improve.

'We've got a couple of people coming back on deck and there's still one or two that are a few weeks away. Touch wood we don't get any more this week and things are certainly tracking in the right direction.”

Another is the desire to make the widest possible use of a talented squad, with an eye on maintaining the intensity into the business end of the season. Key matches against fellow Championship tier opposition loom in the weeks ahead for the Steamers which are close to must-wins if they're to realise their ambition of reaching the playoffs, final and beyond.

Emphasis in training this week has primarily gone on honing their set piece, which has been shown up at times in the opening two matches, but also on developing the young talent they're calling on in the absence of a number of established performers, says Clayton.

'We've really prided ourselves in our set piece ability over the last two-three years being a real weapon for us, and there's no reason why we can't get back to that space if we can get some consistency and get the same fellahs out on the park.

'But also understanding that a lot of these guys are young and they've got a heap of potential, but they're still learning and every game and every training you can see the growth in them.

'Their learning has been accelerated by the fact that they've been given an opportunity and if it continues on an upward trend it puts us in a good place.”

Returning to the Tauranga Domain and performing in front of the crowd that enthused over last year's Waikato and Otago victories at the ground is exciting for his team, Clayton says.

'We certainly have some recent fond memories of playing there in brilliant sunshine the last couple of times we were there, and filling the place up, and that created a great atmosphere that certainly lifted the team.

'I guess all the ingredients are there for our supporters to get along and support the team. It's Canterbury, it's at home, I think the weather's supposed to be fine and our own team is doing bloody well.”

The Steamers, who will be carrying the logo of newly re-signed sponsor Craigs Investment Partners on the side of their jerseys, kick off against Canterbury at 2:35.

The match will be preceded by the Bay of Plenty Volcanix in their Farrah Palmer Cup opener, also against Canterbury, at 11:35.

Bay of Plenty Steamers: (number of appearances in brackets)

1 Solomona Sakalia (35), 2 Tom Crozier*, 3 Ross Geldenhuys (2), 4 Tyler Ardron (8), 5 Baden Wardlaw (1), 6 Tanerau Latimer (80) ©, 7 Mitch Karpik (8), 8 Hoani Matenga (2), 9 Richard Judd (12), 10 Mike Delany (74) ©, 11 Chase Tiatia (28), 12 Terrence Hepetema (21), 13 Trael Joass (2), 14 Fa'asiu Fuatai (2), 15 Kaleb Trask (1)

Reserves:

16 Angus MacDonald (2), 17 James Lay (12), 18 Jeff Thwaites (23), 19 Aaron Carroll (2), 20 Ajay Mua (2), 21 Luke Campbell (18), 22 Liam Steel (6), 23 Bailey Simonsson*