The All Blacks centre Conrad Smith will lead the Hurricanes in their opening Super Rugby clash with the Stormers in Cape Town on Sunday morning.
The match will be Smith's 67th cap as a Hurricane, but his first as the team's new captain.
There are however some major concerns over the Smith's fitness and conditioning levels.
The skipper only returned to training two weeks ago after an extended break following New Zealand's successful Rugby World Cup campaign and it's yet to be seen whether his body is up to the rigours of a full Super Rugby match.
The full Hurricanes line-up to take on the Stormers at Newlands will be announced on Friday.
