Coetzee banking on Lambie’s leadership
ALLISTER COETZEE says Pat Lambie “is part of the Springbok spine” and on Saturday he will get the chance to prove that when he leads the Boks against the Barbarians at Wembley.
Lambie will captain the Boks for the first match of their four-game tour in the absence of hooker Adriaan Strauss, who led the side in nine Tests this year. Strauss is being rested.
Strauss is set to resume his captaincy duties for the big clash against Eddie Jones’ England at Twickenham on November 12. Lambie had a largely unhappy match at fullback against the Wallabies at Loftus and was moved back to flyhalf for the last 20 minutes for the 57-15 hammering the Boks took against the All Blacks.
But calling the shots at No 10 is probably still Lambie’s most effective role, and Coetzee will be glad to have the composed Sharks flyhalf back.
The Baa-Baas are sure to play a free-flowing match, so hopefully the Bok coach will allow Lambie to bring his distribution skills into play.
Coetzee said that the former Sharks leader was a natural choice for the skipper role, despite the fact that he has enjoyed very little game time this season.
Lambie sustained a concussion in the Springboks’ first match of the three-Test series against Ireland earlier in June and spent two months on the sidelines, missing out on a great deal of Super Rugby and Currie Cup action.
So although there should probably be concerns of Lambie being a little rusty, Coetzee chose to focus on his knowledge of the game and his leadership abilities. “Patrick was always part of the leadership group and part of the spine of the Springbok team,” Coetzee said.
“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 wants to play. I have no doubt that he will make a success of his appointment as captain for this match.”
The Bok coach also said that Strauss will support Lambie in terms of leadership, while hookers Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi will also benefit from the 30-year-old’s technical advice.
“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 added. “He understands the bigger picture and he will be back to lead the team again against England at Twickenham next weekend.”
Speaking on his selection as captain, Lambie said that it was an honour to represent the Springboks and highlighted the excitement among the side ahead of their match against the Barbarians. “To play for the Springboks is a big honour and the captaincy comes with a huge amount of responsibility. South Africa has a proud rugby tradition and the whole squad are excited to represent our country against the Barbarians,” he said.
Coetzee will name matchday 23 on Thursday. his