Perofeta made his Super Rugby debut for the side in Apia last week, coming off the bench in the second half.
Coach Tana Umaga said Perofeta's performance in that game earned him a spot in the squad named to face The Lions.
"It's an opportunity for Stevie to step up, we think that he's ready to do that, he has a lot of experience and support around him.
"His skill set belies his age, he could have been on tour with the under 20s but we kept him behind, we just want to make sure he keeps developing, and he's earned the right to start for us this week," Umaga said.
