ADRIAAN STRAUSS WILL captain South Africa in next month’s three-Test series against Ireland, new Springboks coach Allister Coetzee announced today.
The hooker succeeds veteran centre Jean de Villiers, who retired from Test rugby after being injured during the Rugby World Cup and later joined the Leicester Tigers.
Northern Bulls skipper Strauss made his Test debut against Australia in 2008 and has been capped 54 times.
He will lead the Springboks into a new era with nearly half the World Cup squad not chosen to face Joe Schmidt’s side due to retirements, age or locals being preferred to those playing abroad.
The appointment of Strauss covers only the internationals against Ireland as Coetzee seeks to avoid a trap that entangled his two immediate predecessors.
Peter de Villiers and Heyneke Meyer made hooker John Smit and centre Jean de Villiers long-term skippers in decisions that came back to haunt them.
Coetzee has spelt out what he expects from the 30-year-old forward who will captain the two-time world champions.
“I would like to make sure that the captain of the national side should be there to make sure that we win Test matches,” he said.
Adriaan’s leadership qualities are impressive and well established and he has the respect of his team-mates on and off the field.
“I have no doubt he will be successful in his role as Springbok captain, which is a huge responsibility.”
Strauss greeted his appointment by saying: “I am incredibly humbled by this huge honour and also excited about the role.
It is not everyone that gets the opportunity to lead the Springboks, so I consider myself very blessed indeed.
“I will be able to lean on the assistance of a great leadership group within the squad — there is a fantastic energy in the squad, but the hard work starts now.”
South Africa are based in Stellenbosch, 50 kilometres east of Cape Town, for the first week of their preparations.
The opening Test against Ireland takes place in Cape Town on 11 June before moving to Johannesburg (18 June) and Port Elizabeth (25 June).
The tour will be Ireland’s first since 2004 when Jake White plotted a 2-0 series triumph with his side winning 31-17 in Bloemfontein and 26-17 in Cape Town.
Coetzee has selected 12 black players in a 31-man squad amid government pressure for the national team to reflect the demographics of a country whose population is 90% non-white.
His predecessor Meyer stubbornly refused to embrace racial transformation, consistently picking 12 white players in his first choice line-up for four years.
Other captaincy candidates included Bath flanker Francois Louw and two number eights, Golden Lion Warren Whiteley and Duane Vermeulen of Toulon.
Playing outside South Africa counted against Louw and Vermeulen with Coetzee saying “it was not ideal to have your captain based abroad”.
Whiteley has been in outstanding form and an inspirational leader of the Johannesburg-based Lions, the most successful South African franchise this season in Super Rugby.
But he was not guaranteed a starting Test place with Vermeulen widely considered the best South African eight.
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