Lambie’s blood still green
UTILITY MAN: REJUVENATED BOK STAR KEEN TO ATTRACT RASSIE’S ATTENTION
For now he just wants to give Carter a fantastic send-off.
Paris
With all the speculation around who Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will entrust with the national No 10 jersey, the names of Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies and Robert du Preez have been on everyone’s lips.
But there is another dark horse flying under most local fans’ radar in Europe. Not only did Pat Lambie revive his career – which was hampered by concussions before leaving the Sharks last year – at French club Racing 92 this season, but he is flourishing and his fine form has even kept All Black great Dan Carter on the bench.
Lambie, who at 27 is nine years younger than Carter, will start the Champions Cup final in Bilbao against Leinster today as Racing seek to secure a first European title against the three-time winners. On top of their good run, they are also already assured of a place in the Top 14 semifinals.
Lambie this week expressed his burning desire to play for the Boks again. He earned the last of his 56 caps against Wales in Cardiff in November 2016.
“I would love to play for them again and go to the World Cup next year. I realised moving overseas was maybe going to make it more difficult to play for the Springboks even though there is the 30-Test rule,” said Lambie.
But for now he is only focused on giving Carter a winning sendoff.
“It’s really nice to have him on the same side and to have trained and played with him, seen how he does things and speak to him about the game and life outside rugby,” Lambie said of the Kiwi, who joins a club in Japan at the end of this season.
Whereas Carter joined Racing in 2015, after his 112th and final international saw him lead the All Blacks to a successful World Cup defence, Lambie is in his first season in Paris.
Comfortable at fullback, centre and flyhalf, Lambie has played 17 times this season with two tries and 60 points to his name, whereas Carter has had 16 starts, 56 points with the boot but yet to cross the try line for the Paris giants.
Lambie insists he has some sympathy for Carter, who will again be poised to play a super-sub role for Racing today just as he did to devastating effect in the quarterfinal win over Clermont.
“I don’t think we have ever had a problem with our relationship because I have played at centre with him at flyhalf and at fullback with him at flyhalf and I have been on the bench with him at flyhalf,” he said. –