Cape Town - The Reds have singled out Sharks captain and flyhalf Pat Lambie as the danger man ahead of the teams’ clash in Brisbane.
The Springbok pivot will lead the Sharks in this year’s Super Rugby tournament, which for them starts with a clash against the 2011 champions on Friday.
The Queenslanders have clearly taken note of Lambie, with an article headlined Know Your Enemy - Patrick Lambie featuring prominently on the team’s official website.
In the article written by Jim Tucker, Lambie is described as having “moved on from his boy wonder tag in South African Rugby to be the experienced, natural leader of a Sharks team with a dangerous reputation on the road.”
Tucker continued: “Lambie may still look young enough to be asked for ID at Schoolies Week on the Gold Coast but he’s now a hardened 26-year-old with 56 Tests behind him.
“Lambie’s direction from flyhalf makes the Durban-based Sharks a formidable opponent for the Queensland Reds to open the new Super Rugby season at Suncorp Stadium.”
It will be an interesting flyhalf duel between Lambie and Wallaby Quade Cooper, who will start in the No 10 jersey for the Reds.
Kick-off for Friday’s clash is scheduled for 11:00 (SA time).
Teams:
Reds
15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Chris Kuridrani, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Duncan Paia’aua, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 George Smith, 6 Adam Korczyk, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 James Slipper (captain)
Substitutes: 16 Andrew Ready, 17 Markus Vanzati, 18 Sef Fa’agase, 19 Izack Rodda, 20 Hendrik Tui, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Jake McIntyre, 23 Izaia Perese
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie (captain), 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Jacques Vermeulen, 21 Michael Claassens, 22 Jeremy Ward, 23 Clement Poitrenaud