NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar believes new skipper Joey Walton is the type of guy to help inspire the club break a decade-long drought in Wellington.
Walton takes over the leadership for Friday's clash with the Hurricanes after lock Hugh Sinclair pulled up sick during the week.
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It's the third captain the team has used in a month, with Jake Gordon still a couple of weeks away with a knee injury.
"He's been a leading voice within our group from day one and he's a player that's always impressed me," McKellar said to media.
"I had respect for him when I coached against him and coming through the pathways in the system in New South Wales, but most importantly he's backed it up with performance.
"He's a tough bugger as well, he's someone who can play with pain and played the first 80 minutes with a torn groin and then played a game with a pretty decent cork as well, so I've got a lot of respect for that."
McKellar believes guys like Walton are the players who will set the culture and determine the Waratahs' future path.
"They're your foot soldiers, the guys that are in the building 24-7 just about every day of the year," he explained.
"(Joey's) in at Daceyville just about day in and day out. You need those leaders, the guys that are driving the program and the culture and environment every day, and he certainly does that through his actions and his voice.
"When I sat down with him and spoke to him about captaining the side, you could see the pride in his face, and it'll be a special night for him and his family."
It comes as McKellar turns to the future of the club, with winger Archie Saunders handed his debut.
Saunders is one of the quickest players at Daceyville. During his school years, he clocked 10.3 seconds for the 100m.
The former Wallabies assistant hasn't been afraid to back the next generation of NSW stars, with Henry O'Donnell, Leafi Talataina and Teddy Wilson thriving in starting roles to start the year.
"He's a big body, so coachable and a really good kid," McKellar said on the Warringah product.
"I couldn't be prouder or happier for 'Arch' and his family and he's genuinely ready. I always talk about when you expose young players, they need to be ready, they need to have good players around them (and) Archie's got that.
"It's exciting and I think we saw with Henry O'Donnell off the back of injury, he got an opportunity and we can unearth the next generation of Waratahs. So I'm sure Archie will be the same.
