Sharks keep faith in Lambie

Pat Lambie has been mentioned as a possible successor to Adriaan Strauss as Springbok captain and he will certainly get plenty of opportunity to showcase his leadership skills after being named as the Sharks’ skipper for the 2017 Super Rugby campaign yesterday.

Of course, with the return of Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard to full fitness, Lambie is not even guaranteed a starting place in the Springbok team and he will be eager to stake his claim and will be hoping to steer clear of the injuries that kept him out of the first half of last year’s tournament.

Lambie was named captain last year too and new Sharks head coach Robert du Preez said re-appointing the 26-year-old was an obvious choice.

“Pat’s talent, temperament and outstanding character makes him an automatic choice. He’s a natural leader who provides great inspiration and motivation for our young players and he has all the qualities needed to be a great captain,” Du Preez said.

“Pat puts in the hard yards, leads by example and he has the respect and backing of everyone around him.”

Lambie pleaded with the KwaZulu-Natal public to get behind the Sharks after a couple of lean years in the competition.

“There is an exciting vision that we are working towards, that has been built on our core values, and we look forward to the support of our community, who are instrumental to our success,” Lambie said.