Veteran halfback Brad Weber will wear the captain's armband in the absence fo, Sam Cane when the Chiefs travel to Dunedin for the opening round of Super Rugby by Aotearoa.
Warren Gatland's side will kick off the revamped competition against the Highlanders on Saturday night
All Blacks skipper Cane is being rested as he recovers from a lower back strain, meaning a step up in responsibility for the fiery No.9.
Coach Gatland is expecting a torrid tussle with the southern men, and can't wait to see his charges back on the park.
"It will be a competitive hit out on Saturday, and one the fans, players and coaches alike are all looking forward to," Gatland says.
"It has been a long time between drinks, and everyone is excited for a great game.
"The squad have been training hard over the past four weeks and are eager to get stuck into their work."
The clash will be a milestone occasion for Chiefs openside flanker Lachlan Boshier who will earn his 50th cap on Saturday night.
Gatland has named a talent-rich forward pack that is bolstered by the return from injury of All Blacks prop Neop Laulala.
Elsewhere, Kaleb Trask will start ahead of Aaron Cruden at first-five with Damian McKenzie once again providing a broken play threat from fullback, with Cruden named on the bench.
Gatland has put the spotlight on the Highlanders, suggesting all the pressure is on the homeside, who only scored one win in before the season was stopped in March.
"If you can't win at home in front of a full house, then you're season is going to be a struggle.
"But if we can start the competition off in a great way and create a lot of interest and enthusiasm world wide, I think it'll be fantastic for the game and the remainder of this competition."
The Chiefs will mark their return to rugby wearing their limited-edition Women in Rugby jersey.
Chiefs: 1-Aidan Ross, 2-Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3-Nepo Laulala, 4-Mitchell Brown, 5-Tupou Vaa'i, 6-Luke Jacobson, 7-Lachlan Boshier, 8-Peter Gus Sowakula, 9-Brad Weber (c), 10-Kaleb Trask, 11-Sean Wainui, 12-Anton Lienert-Brown, 13-Quinn Tupaea, 14-Shaun Stevenson, 15-Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16-Bradley Scott, 17-Ryan Coxon, 18-Ross Geldenhuys, 19-Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20-Dylan Nel, 21-Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22-Aaron Cruden, 23-Etene Nanai-Seturo
Join us as 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Highlanders v Chiefs Super Rugby Aotearoa clash.
