Much will rest on the shoulders of new Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith and fullback Cory Jane this year.
But already the pair have been impressed by the attitude of the young, inexperienced players in the new-look squad.
With Ma'a Nonu, Piri Weepu, Hosea Gear, Aaron Cruden, Andrew Hore, Neemia Tialata and John Schwalger having left the franchise, both Jane and Smith admit there is a different feel in and around the Hurricanes camp.
"Maybe it is the challenge that we know we're all facing and that has brought something different to the team," said Smith, who only returned from his extended break on Monday.
"I've noticed it in the day or two (I've been here). It's not saying things aren't going to be tough. There is a lot of hard work ahead of this group. But I love the attitude already and that's all you can ask for from a team, especially when you lack a bit of experience.
"A good attitude will get you a long way."
Jane believes success this season will come through team work, rather than relying on individual brilliance.
"We've lost a lot of firepower that can make something happen out of nothing," he said. "We have to be a team and the feeling since I've been here is that we are a team and everybody is working hard for each other.
"That's the only way we're going to do well in this competition is if we all work for each other."
Despite the six-tries-to-one 36-22 score line from the opening pre-season game against the Blues, Jane felt there were positives that could be taken from the game in Whangarei.
"When we got our structure right ... we put some big hits on them. We got down in their half a few times in that second half and they kept giving away penalties," he said.
"We treated it like a real game and kicked some goals when there might have been more opportunities for us to score some more tries.
"You read the paper and see the Blues win 36-22 and score six tries to one and it looks bloody bad. But if you watched the game there was some good in there and we've got to build from that."
It was also an early taste of how big the step up from ITM Cup to Super Rugby is.
"You're playing against the big boys now that study you and know what you are about," said Jane.
"If they didn't know that, they learned it a bit in that pre-season game. But there is a difference between the pre-season and proper games as well."
The Hurricanes' next pre-season match is against the Crusaders in Mangatainoka this Saturday.
Their Super Rugby season-opener against the Stormers in Cape Town is February 26.