De Villiers says captaincy is only surprise by visitors

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has revealed his surprise at the appointment of Paul O’Connell as captain of the Lions. However, the Springbok boss, who was anticipating a team led by Brian O’Driscoll, believes the squad named by Ian McGeechan is “what we expected”.

“I am surprised that Paul O’Connell got the captaincy ahead of Brian O’Driscoll, who was the most successful captain in the Six Nations in 2009 and captained the Lions to New Zealand four years ago,” said De Villiers.

“Having said that, O’Connell is the captain of Munster and has also captained Ireland at Test level and we will not underestimate his leadership capabilities. This is a huge accolade for Paul O’Connell and it will come with great responsibility.

“Any selection will have its fair share of surprises, but we believe that Ian McGeechan and his team have placed their confidence in what they believe to be the best 37 players in the four home unions.

“For us, however, it is more important that we now know exactly who our opposition will be as opposed to which players made it and which did not.

“It is a good squad, which is what we expected, based on the players who were on form in the Six Nations and understanding the type of players that Ian McGeechan was looking for.

“It is also evident that the squad has been picked on form, fitness, combinations and experience. It looks like a well-balanced and experienced group and it will be interesting to see how their Test side takes shape.

“As expected, the bulk of players are from Ireland and Wales, but the number of England players in the group is evidence of the improvement they showed in the closing stages of the Six Nations.”

Turning his attention to the series itself, the Springbok boss is keen to reverse what happened 12 years ago when the Lions won 2-1 on their last tour to the country.

“Now that we know the make-up of the Lions squad we will be able to advance our preparations in terms of our analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, how we expect them to play and how we must prepare for the three Tests.

“A Lions tour is always a momentous occasion and 2009 will be no different. Our guys know the magnitude of the task that lies ahead and they know the expectation that there is, especially in view of the disappointments of 1997. I am looking forward to the Test series.”

South Africa captain John Smit expects his side to have their work cut out against what he described as a very strong team.

“It is not surprising that the squad is dominated by players from the two teams that contested the Six Nations title,” said Smit.

“We always expected them to pick strong and aggressive forwards, which indicates that they see the scrum and lineout as key elements of the contest.”

As for the man who will be his own opposite number, he added: “The captain Paul O’Connell is a team man who is well respected internationally. It is obvious they are trying to replicate the vibe and momentum that they had with the same coach in 1997.”