Still, a barrel of runs or a bucket of wickets on the opening day of the Plunket Shield in Auckland today would be just lovely.
"It’s just an exciting time," Rutherford said before the Volts flew out of Dunedin yesterday.
"Day one, and everyone will be feeling slightly different, you know.
"We’ve got some fresh faces who have only played a couple of games, and a few who have been around a bit, so there will be different levels of excitement.
"It’s just that feeling of hopefully getting together, whether that be in the field or sitting back and watching your team-mates bat, and really enjoying it and doing well."
Rutherford (33) enters his 15th season of first-class cricket and has been most places and seen most things.
For others — the likes of 18-year-old opening batter Jacob Cumming and 22-year-old project Thorn Parkes - today is the beginning of what could be a summer that helps them take the leap from rookie to established Plunket Shield player.
Some of the Volts have been overseas in the winter but many in the squad have benefited from the opportunity to train on grass in the new training centre at Tonga Park.
"That’s been a massive boost," Rutherford said.
"Not only is it helping us but it’s helping the Sparks and the pathway players, and it’s just been great not to have to worry about looking at the weather or having to travel to play on grass.
"There was a year there when we didn’t hit a ball or bowl a ball on grass before the first game, so the fact we’ve had six weeks indoor on grass... I mean, you just can’t replace that."
Rutherford, Jacob Duffy and Michael Rippon will be expected to lead from the front for the Volts, while there will be interest in how Max Chu continues to develop.
But it would be fair to say a lot of Volts supporters will have eyes for just one man when play begins at the Eden Park Outer Oval this morning.
Dean Foxcroft’s immense talent has been missing right through the pandemic, and Rutherford is delighted to have him back in the Otago squad.
"He’s obviously a very good player who hopefully one day might represent New Zealand, because he’s got that sort of class about him.
"He’s also just an absolute champion of a bloke, and he brings a bit of a different edge to our squad. Our football games and warm-ups have certainly changed from a fiery point of view.
"He hasn’t really played cricket for a couple of years so we’ve just got to give him time to settle in a little bit.
"He’s moved over here with his wife, and that in itself is a big move."
Rutherford also wants young guns Cumming and Parkes to be given some time to progress at this level.
Plunket Shield cricket was immensely rewarding when a player was going well but could also be challenging, and even the most talented player needed to get games under his belt to learn about what was required, he said.
Otago’s long Plunket Shield drought always hovers in the background and Rutherford said he was "desperate" to taste success with the Volts.
"To me, it just comes back to doing the basics really well for a long period of time.
"Over the past few years in domestic cricket, there have been some rather sporting pitches, and also players don’t seem to want to go the long haul and produce big innings any more, because there’s a lot more white-ball cricket.
"I think it needs to be about hanging in there for as long as possible with the ball and then doing the same with the bat.
"We had some guys score a fair volume of runs last year and hopefully we can replicate that."
It was a fairly quiet winter for Rutherford, who played just a handful of twenty20 games for English county Leicestershire in May-June.
He had a few aches and strains to get over and enjoyed a period of two months where he did not even pick up a bat.
"I’m feeling quite refreshed, actually, which is really good."
Both O’Donnell brothers, captain Robbie and younger sibling William, are included in the Auckland squad.
Kyle Jamieson sits it out as he continues his recovery from a back injury, while Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill and Lockie Ferguson are on Black Caps duty.
Plunket Shield
Auckland, starting today
Otago: Hamish Rutherford (captain), Jacob Cumming, Dale Phillips, Dean Foxcroft, Thorn Parkes, Michael Rippon, Max Chu, Jake Gibson, Travis Muller, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae, Jarrod McKay.
Auckland: Cole Briggs, Louis Delport, Danru Ferns, Ryan Harrison, Ben Horne, Simon Keene, Robbie O’Donnell, William O’Donnell, Sean Solia, Will Somerville, Ross Ter Braak, George Worker.
