The All Black deputy will square off against Wallaby wannabe Matt Toomua, who is in Ewen McKenzie's squad and pushing for a test start in the Rugby Championship.
"I played against him in age-grade and he is showing a lot of confidence this year with game-breakers across the park for the Brumbies."
Cruden has accumulated more than 50 matches in Super 15 and been the backline mainstay for coach Dave Rennie since the pair shifted north two years ago.
"He has been massive for us," Rennie said of his five-eighths. "It is no secret that as soon as I got the job I phoned him up and told him I was taking him with me."
The pair had ripened their rugby skills at Manawatu and Rennie knew he could rely on the five-eighths to advance the team package with the Chiefs. Cruden had an out-clause in his contract and his coach urged him to draw up a list of pros and cons about a franchise change.
"I was stoked he came. He had worked with Wayne Smith and Andrew Strawbridge and knew what sort of environment we would have.
"He had settled into the All Blacks with the World Cup at the end of 2011 and even though they were told to take time off, he came in early to do some hard slog and get to know his new teammates better.
"He is very demanding on himself but we want that from everyone so Aaron fits in well to the culture.
"He started with the Turbos as an 18-year-old, so bossing older players has not been a problem."
Leadership was one of Cruden's strengths and he always had high standards. The five-eighths mentioned the tough times he endured during his treatment for testicular cancer and the surge in success in the last two seasons.
The coaching group of Rennie, Smith, Strawbridge and Tom Coventry carried similar philosophies and strength in their unity. They had all been teachers so were probably tuned into all sorts of instruction and psychological methods.
"At times one sees something and another gets something else and they work through those ideas for the good of the team. They all have great rugby brains and are smart men who understand how to work together," Cruden said.
"Dave [Rennie] gave me a crack and he believed in me. He is a quality coach and a quality person."
Rennie rarely raises his voice in public, even when he is irritated by some of the oddities thrown up in the Super 15. However Cruden revealed the coach could spark up at halftime if his teams were not doing the business.
"If you are not on the money, he can let fly.
"He has talked a lot about the job ahead of us. We did not win the final against the Crusaders; that was an easy trap to fall into. We had to scale back to the foundations, build our blocks each day and all contribute in any way we can."
