Exeter Chiefs are looking at switching Sireli Naqelevuki into the forwards to make the most of his powerful frame.
The 33-year-old joined the Sandy Park outfit in 2010 following their promotion to the top flight.
After making his debut on the wing, the former Stormers ace has been used in the centre ever since.
However, he has fallen down the pecking order and only made six appearances last season.
And head coach Rob Baxter revealed Naqelevuki will play in a couple of academy games this month as a forward to see how he adapts to the change.
"Sireli is training a fair bit with the forwards with a view that we're going to have a look at him as a back-rower," Baxter told Echo Sport. "We'll see how that goes in a few pre-season run-outs.
"We are looking at him as a ball-carrying back-row option.
"It'll be relatively easy for Sireli to drop back to playing in the backs if that's what we decide to do, but he's spending a bit of time with the forwards and that gives us the opportunity to have a look at him in a couple of the academy run-outs we have on Tuesday nights to give him the opportunity to settle in and see how it goes for him. Whether we get to look at him in one of the main pre-season games will depend on how those outings go.
"It is a bit of an experiment but the thing with Sireli is that he's a very natural rugby player, so far he has dropped into most of it very well.
"If you think of Sireli's strengths, if we can get him on the ball a little bit more in the back-row we may make the most of his best attributes."
Baxter this week welcomed new signing Chrysander Botha into training as the players returned from a week away from the club.
And he said the 26-year-old full-back may not be the final addition to his squad, although there was no-one set to join imminently.
"You can look at the squad and say we could sign one or two more players, but we'd rather wait and make sure we're 100 per cent happy with a player we go for rather than select a squad player," said Baxter.
"There's not anyone else in the pipeline, but we are still looking and if the right player becomes available potentially we'll go for somebody."
With the Chiefs' pre-season matches starting next Friday with a trip to play Cardiff Blues, training has stepped up a gear this week.
Baxter added: "We've done a live bit of contact this week. Although we've done a bit of pad work and a bit of static contact skills, we haven't gone bone-on-bone before.
"It is starting to crank up a bit and move beyond fitness and skills and looking at patterns to seeing how things work under full contact situations."
