Conrad Smith will lead the Hurricanes out against the Stormers at Newlands Stadium on Sunday morning (NZT).
The All Blacks centre has not played in any of the Hurricanes' three pre-season matches after returning only recently from an extended post-World Cup break.
While initially Smith had been reluctant to confirm he would play in his side's Super Rugby opener, the new Hurricanes skipper said in the end the decision to lead his men out in Cape Town had been a straightforward one.
"From about the middle of last week I was feeling pretty confident and it's all worked out well," he said.
"It's obviously going to be tough, particularly playing over here and with the travel. It's never easy at the best of times.
"But I'll just hope that the preparation I've done is enough and a bit of adrenalin from the first-up game will hopefully kick in and get me through."
Whether he lasts the 80 minutes or not, Smith fronting up to lead his inexperienced side out has laid down a marker for the Hurricanes as they look to prove their doubters wrong.
For several in the side, such as TJ Perenara, Motu Matu'u, Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen, Tristan Moran and Charlie Ngatai, it is their first trip to South Africa but Smith felt the young players had settled in well.
"I've quite enjoyed seeing them enjoying and taking in all the new sights and challenges of playing rugby over here," Smith said.
"They've taken on the advice that a few of the older heads have passed on. They are just excited I think. I remember back to my first tour over here. It's a pretty daunting place to play but it's also pretty exciting."
Those excitement levels are only likely to rise as game day approaches and Smith himself will face a rare challenge on Sunday as Springboks winger Bryan Habana is tipped to shift to centre for the Stormers after Juan de Jongh was ruled out with a broken jaw.
"I've played against him a lot but never at centre," admitted Smith. "I think he's a good enough player to handle the shift.
"He must have some experience there to justify the move. But he'll have to do a few things differently.
"He will certainly be a difficult man to mark so it will be an interesting wee battle I suppose."
Habana, and midfield team-mate Jean de Villiers, are the kings of scoring intercept tries. When asked if Habana's shift would cut down on those opportunities Smith wryly replied: "Or he could be even more of a threat.
"He'll still be lurking around I'd say. He'll be causing havoc for our attackers with him coming in one (place) as he does so well coming in from the wing. It is something we'll have to think about."