South African Rugby Union confirms John Smit as captain of Springboks for RWC 2011
South African Rugby Union (SARU) has confirmed the popular view that the Springboks most successful title winning captain, John Smit, will be leading the team in the upcoming Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2011. Bulls captain, Victor Matfield, will be the deputy
for the Smith.
Springboks Coach Peter de Villiers announced the news at the end of the two-day national planning camp earlier today. All 51 members Springboks squad announced last month on April 20, were present in the camp. De Villiers has acknowledged Smit’s and Matfield’s
skills and experience and termed their presence in the RWC 2011 as a great bonus for the team. He said, “They are outstanding players in their positions and to have both still available in a Rugby World Cup year is a great boost for South African rugby. They
are hugely respected in world rugby and have a massive influence on the teams in which they play.”
33-year-old Smit so far has played 102 matches for the Springboks since his debut against Canada at East London in June 2000. Besides being the most capped forward for the Springboks, he also holds the record of the most capped captain at 76 for Springboks.
John Smit is famous for his versatile attributes and has already led the Springboks to their second World Cup crown during Rugby World Cup 2007 and has won Tri Nations titles in 2004 and 2009. Smit mostly plays at hooker while occasionally featuring as tight
head.
Smit earlier this year has missed most of the Sharks matches during the Super XV after sustaining the injury. In his absence, Sharks have used Bismarck du Plessis as Hooker. John Smit returned to Sharks in their game against the Lions but Springbok captain
played at Prop position.
Bulls captain Victor Matfield has established himself as a front line leader as he has successfully led the Bulls to the Super Rugby title on three occasions. In the past few years, during the absence of John Smit, Matfield did lead the Springboks successfully.
Matfield led the Springboks on 15 occasions and has played 105 tests.
The second of three camps announced earlier will take place in Durban on June 12 and 13.
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