Pat Lambie to Captain Springboks against Barbarians at Wembley in London

Patrick Lambie will captain South Africa in their international match against the Barbarians at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, Springbok coach Allister Coetzee confirmed on Monday.

Adriaan Strauss, who has led the Springboks in all of their nine Tests so far this year, will be rested for the Barbarians match. Coetzee will name the Springbok match-23 on Thursday afternoon. No Test caps will be awarded for this match.

With his regular captain not considered for the match, Coetzee said Lambie was a natural choice for the captaincy against the Barbarians.

“Patrick was always part of the leadership group and part of the spine of the Springbok team,” said Coetzee.

“He has excelled as a leader at franchise level and has the respect of his peers. He understands the team culture and has a great understanding of the game and the way we want to play. I have no doubt that he will make a success of his appointment as captain for this match.”

Strauss will retire from international rugby at the end of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.

“Adriaan still plays an important role in the squad, by giving support to Patrick and also helping Bongi and Malcolm with technical detail. He has bought into my succession plan that I want to give Bongi and Malcolm more playing time on this tour,” said Coetzee.

“He understands the bigger picture and he will be back to lead the team again against England at Twickenham next weekend.”

Lambie said it is an honour to be appointed as captain of the Springboks: “To play for the Springboks is a big honour and the captaincy comes with a huge amount of responsibility. South Africa have a proud rugby tradition and the whole squad are excited to represent our country against the Barbarians.”

Lambie has played in 53 Tests for the Springboks, scoring 137 points. He is equally at home at fullback and flyhalf.

Brief profile of Patrick Lambie:

• Position: Flyhalf (28 Tests), Wing (1), Fullback (24)
• Provincial team: Cell C Sharks
• Springbok number: 820
• Test debut: 6 November 2010 vs Ireland in Dublin aged 20
• Total tests: 53
• Tour matches: 2
• Total Springbok matches: 55
• Honours: SA Rugby Young Player of the Year (2011); SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (2011, 2012); SA Schools (2007-2008)

Source: www.sarugby.net/