Reds teenager Jake Schatz's adaptability and toughness faces their sternest tests on Saturday morning (AEDT) when he fills Daniel Braid's big boots against the Cheetahs.

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie has been forced to convert Schatz into an open-side flanker for the round seven Super 14 clash in Bloemfontein after losing vice-captain Braid (knee).

The former All Black flanker looked set to overcome a medial ligament strain and take his place at Vodacom Park before tweaking his joint late in Thursday's training session.

So confident the Reds were Braid would play they left specialist No.7s Lei Tomiki and Andrew Shaw in Brisbane when they set off for the three-match tour of South Africa.

But McKenzie is more than comfortable the athletic Schatz, a No.8 or blind-side flanker with the Australian under 20s, can replace the in-form Braid as the Reds' link-man as they chase their first Super rugby hat-trick since 2004.

The 19-year-old back-row revelation has already shown he can handle a step up in his short senior career.

Schatz captained his club side Sunnybank at 18 last year and was this year plucked out of the Reds academy to make his Super 14 debut in the round two upset of the Crusaders.

But this time he won't have the experience of Braid and injured skipper James Horwill beside him as the Reds confront a Cheetahs pack led by Springbok flanker Juan Smith, this week rated the best No.7 in the competition by Test predecessor Andre Venter.

Fortunately for Queensland, the Cheetahs back-row is missing injured Springbok ball fetcher Heinrich Brussouw and Schatz won't encounter the same breakdown threat.

"Schatzy's has been a meteoric rise this season and he's answered the call on many occasions in different ways," McKenzie said.

"He replaced Braidy in the last game and played the last 20 minutes at open-side flanker against the Force so we've got some continuity there."

Schatz is sure to be one of the 22 players McKenzie has already sewn up on contracts for 2011 and beyond.

The seventh-placed Reds on Thursday confirmed fellow forwards Van Humphries, Rob Simmons and Scott Higginbotham had re-signed.

Simmons, 20, has been retained in the second-row alongside veteran Humphries following his strong performance in the 50-10 victory over the Western Force.

The decision leaves Melbourne-bound Adam Byrnes cooling his heels on the bench where livewire winger Rod Davies will return from a cheekbone fracture.

"I think Simmo did very well in the Force game," McKenzie said. "Our lineout functioned the best it has in attack and defence so in those circumstances we didn't feel that needed to change."

The Cheetahs, who begin their Australasian tour next week, are desperate to end their six-match start in South Africa with a bonus point win, suggesting they'll attempt to attack Queensland.

"They play a real interesting blend," McKenzie said. "They kicked the ball against the Stormers (last week) but they can also move the ball side to side so they play both ends of the spectrum."

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