diff --git a/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_collection.yaml b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_collection.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b54281bc37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_collection.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+- name: 'Ensure {{ item.namespace }}/{{ item.name }} directory'
+  file:
+    path: '/root/.ansible/collections/ansible_collections/{{ item.namespace }}/{{ item.name }}'
+    state: directory
+    mode: 0755
+
+- name: 'Clone  {{ item.namespace }}/{{ item.name }} collection'
+  git:
+    repo: '{{ item.repo }}'
+    dest: '/root/.ansible/collections/ansible_collections/{{ item.namespace }}/{{ item.name }}'
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_stub.yaml b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_stub.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..18723ff199
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/install_ansible_stub.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+- name: Create build dir
+  tempfile:
+    state: directory
+    suffix: fake-ansible
+  register: _build_dir
+
+- name: Install fake setup.py
+  blockinfile:
+    create: yes
+    path: '{{ _build_dir.path }}/setup.py'
+    block: |
+      import setuptools
+
+      setuptools.setup(name="ansible",
+                 url="http://fake.com",
+                 maintainer="nobody@nobody.com",
+                 version="2.9.0",
+                 description="Fake ansible")
+
+- name: Install stub ansible
+  pip:
+    name: '{{ _build_dir.path }}'
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/main.yaml
index 19cc226442..5b69dda8ee 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/install-ansible/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
-# If ansible_install_version is not defined it should be "latest"
+# If install_ansible_version is not defined (note; not *empty*) it
+# should be "latest"
 - name: Set ansible default version to latest
   set_fact:
     install_ansible_version: latest
   when: install_ansible_version is not defined
 
 # If a version is not explicitly set we want to make sure to
-# completely omit the version argument to pip, as it will be coming
+# completely omit the version argument to pip:, as it will be coming
 # from the long-form install_ansible_name variable.  Additionally, if
 # the version is the special value "latest", then we also want to omit
 # any version number, but also set the package state to "latest".
@@ -19,7 +20,46 @@
     _install_ansible_state: latest
   when: install_ansible_version == 'latest'
 
-- name: Ensure required build packages for non-wheel architectures
+# Since Ansible 2.10 (~2020-08) the devel core package is split into
+# "ansible-base".  The PyPi the package "ansible" has everything in it
+# (the so called Ansible Community Distribution) but we specifically
+# want to test against devel.  However, ARA still depends on the
+# "ansible" package -- but we like ARA, because we can see the nested
+# runs with it.  To to keep ARA but avoid it bringing in either an old
+# version of Ansible, or the ACD, install a dummy package.
+- name: Check if running devel branch
+  set_fact:
+    _install_ansible_from_devel: true
+  when: '"github.com/ansible/ansible" in install_ansible_name'
+
+- name: Setup Ansible stub for post 2.10 compat
+  include_tasks: install_ansible_stub.yaml
+  when: _install_ansible_from_devel is defined
+
+# From Ansible 2.10 >= most of the fun stuff is in collections.  Clone
+# our required collections here.  Note, in production, we use ACD
+# which bundles most of this.
+#
+# TODO(ianw): we should add these to zuul and link the speculative
+# copies into ansible, then we could test changes in the collections!
+- name: Install Ansible collections
+  include_tasks: install_ansible_collection.yaml
+  when: _install_ansible_from_devel is defined
+  loop:
+    - namespace: ansible
+      name: posix
+      repo: https://github.com/ansible-collections/ansible.posix
+    - namespace: community
+      name: general
+      repo: https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general
+    - namespace: community
+      name: crypto
+      repo: https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.crypto
+    - namespace: ansible
+      name: netcommon
+      repo: https://github.com/ansible-collections/ansible.netcommon
+
+- name: Ensure required Ansible build packages for non-wheel architectures
   apt:
     update_cache: yes
     name:
@@ -34,6 +74,26 @@
     version: '{{ _install_ansible_version | default(omit) }}'
     state: '{{ _install_ansible_state | default(omit) }}'
 
+- name: Ansible version check
+  command: 'ansible-playbook --version'
+  register: _ansible_version_check
+
+- name: Sanity check Ansible version
+  debug:
+    msg: '{{ _ansible_version_check.stdout }}'
+
+- name: Ansible cmd version check
+  command: 'ansible --version'
+  register: _ansible_version_check
+
+- name: Sanity check Ansible version
+  debug:
+    msg: '{{ _ansible_version_check.stdout }}'
+
+- name: Set up the ARA callback
+  include_tasks: install_ara.yaml
+  when: install_ansible_ara_enable
+
 # For use by k8s_raw ansible module
 # - name: Install openshift client
 #   pip:
@@ -89,10 +149,6 @@
     group: root
     mode: 0775
 
-- name: Set up the ARA callback
-  include_tasks: install_ara.yaml
-  when: install_ansible_ara_enable
-
 - name: Copy ansible.cfg in to place
   template:
     src: ansible.cfg.j2