Lambie to captain Springboks
Adriaan Strauss, who has led the Springboks in all of their nine Tests so far this year, will be rested for the Barbarians match.
Coetzee will name the Springbok matchday-23 on Thursday. No Test caps will be awarded for this match.
With his regular captain not considered for the match, Coetzee said Lambie was a natural choice for the captaincy against the Barbarians.
“Patrick was always part of the leadership group and part of the spine of the Springbok team,” said Coetzee.
“He has excelled as a leader at franchise level and has the respect of his peers. He understand the team culture and has a great understanding of the game and the way we want to play. I have no doubt that he will make a success of his appointment as captain for this match.”
Strauss will retire from international rugby at the end of the Springboks' end-of-year tour.
“Adriaan still plays an important role in the squad, by giving support to Patrick and also helping Bongi [Mbongeni Mbonambi] and Malcolm [Marx] with technical detail. He has bought into my succession plan that I want to give Bongi and Malcolm more playing time on this tour,” said Coetzee.
“He understand the bigger picture and he will be back to lead the team again against England at Twickenham next weekend.”
Lambie said it is an honour to be appointed as captain of the Springboks.
“To play for the Springboks is a big honour and the captaincy comes with a huge amount of responsibility. South Africa have a proud rugby tradition and the whole squad are excited to represent our country against the Barbarians.”
Lambie has played in 53 Tests for the Springboks, scoring 137 points.
