Chris van Zyl will be the first Stormers player to exit the tunnel at their new Cape Town Stadium home when they host the Cheetahs on Saturday.
Van Zyl, 34, will captain a young Stormers team as they start the post-Newlands/Siya Kolisi era in the competition dubbed the “preparation series”.
Of the historic occasion, the lock says: “It’s obviously a massive privilege.
“I’ve done it before at a packed stadium for the Superhero Sunday which is also special, but this one specifically as we move from Newlands to the beautiful Cape Town Stadium is something that I’ll really cherish.”
He adds of facing the Cheetahs and kicking off with a bang at Cape Town Stadium: “When Dobbo [coach John Dobson] named the team, there was a great sense of pride.
“We’ve obviously been training very hard and I think there is a number of players I can think of that trained throughout Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup competitions that couldn’t get a chance and I think those are the guys that we are really looking forward to see get their shot and have a go.
“I think there is a general excitement for what is our first official game at the new stadium.”
With former captain Kolisi having left Cape Town for Durban where he’ll ply his trade for the Sharks, there is an opportunity for a new long-term captain to step up.
And while veteran Van Zyl will lead from the front in the preparation series, coach John Dobson is looking at a number of candidates to fill Kolisi’s boots in the long run.
The coach says of the captaincy armband: “We’ve got ideas [of who should be the long-term captain, but haven’t made that decision yet].
“Chris is here now and we’ve got great experiences with him.
“Kitsie [Steven Kitshoff] did a great job when Siya wasn’t available – which is a fair portion of the last competition.
“And we’ve got a guy like Salmaan Moerat – he’s a guy that we’re looking at in the long term.
“So it will be one of those guys.”