Sharks coach John Plumtree has named hard-working loose forward Keegan Daniel as the new captain of a youthful team as they set about defending their Currie Cup crown this year.

Daniel will have the experienced Stefan Terblanche to lean on as his vice-captain as Plumtree looks to introduce a new leadership core at Kings Park this season.

The Sharks coach commented: "We've had an opportunity to make a change in the leadership with a lot of experience going out of the team, I'm giving him [Daniel] the opportunity to stamp his mark on the team and our franchise.

"He was a good choice because he's so passionate about the jersey, he's been a real consistent performer over the last couple of seasons, it's that type of respect the team has for him and he has for the jersey. Stefan Terblanche will be his vice-captain and he has a fair bit of experience and wisdom to help him out," he added.

Daniel has embraced this new challenge and is keen to apply what he has learned under previous Sharks leaders.

He said: "It's exciting, I got a taste of it in the Currie Cup last year, I've been very blessed to play under great leaders like Johann Muller, Stefan and John Smit, they've been mentors in my life and being close to them has helped me develop and grow not only my game but my mental maturity as well."

The dynamic flank will take charge of a young team, and the big challenge for him will be to channel their enthusiasm in the absence of so many senior players.

Plumtree explained: "What they lack in experience, they bring in enthusiasm. Everything they do at training is at 100 miles an hour, they're just dying to get out there.

"It's a real opportunity for our supporters to see what our depth is like, to see some youngsters and while the names we have are familiar to most people, it's bringing them all together as a group and seeing how we can perform," he said.

Daniel has a very clear idea of what he needs to do to become an effective leader and is excited about implementing that approach this season.

He said: "Being a leader in any institution, when you have a group underneath you, you have to understand how different people work and what makes them tick, and that's going to be key.

"This is a young group and the faster we can come together and understand what kind of game we're trying to play and the guys understand each other more, the better it's going to be for us in the long run," he added.