WASPS lock George Skivington rose to the task after being asked to lead the team out for the first time on Sunday.
With Tom Rees and Phil Vickery injured and Serge Betsen rested, Tony Hanks turned to Skivington for the LV Anglo Welsh Cup tie at London Irish.
Hanks said: “He’s performed really well for us all year and it was always the intent to use the likes of George at some point.
“He’s got a lot of respect in this group. He’s quite involved both on and off the field in terms of setting our standards and I was pleased with the job he’s done this week.”