Lambie to captain Boks against Barbarians

Cape Town - 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.

"Adriaan still plays an important role in the squad, by giving support to Patrick and also helping Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx with technical detail, and he has bought into my succession plan. 

"He understand 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," he said.

"South Africa has 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. 

Brief profile of Patrick Lambie:

Position: Flyhalf (28 Tests), Wing (1), Fullback (24)

Provincial team: Sharks

Springbok number: 820

Test debut: November 6, 2010 v 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)