Victor Matfield will lead the Springboks against Italy in a one-off Test at Newlands on Saturday.
It will be the Bulls captain’s fourth Test as Springbok skipper after making his debut as captain against the All Blacks last year.
Bok coach Peter de Villiers on Monday confirmed Matfield’s appointment in the absence of regular captain John Smit, who is on club duty with Clermont in France.
”Victor is a rugby genius,” said De Villiers, ”but more than that he understands people. He has shown outstanding leadership qualities since joining the squad, and he made this decision very easy for me.”
Matfield has also been appointed as the team’s official vice-captain, and will lead the Boks this season whenever Smit is not on the field.
”It’s a tremendous honour for me to captain my country and I’m grateful to Peter for the opportunity,” said Matfield. ”It wasn’t something I thought about or expected, but I’m very happy to take on the responsibility in John’s absence.” — Sapa