Pat Lambie is not only a popular choice as captain of the Cell C Sharks in 2016, but a fairly obvious choice given his rugby abilities, accomplishments and the esteem in which he is held by team-mates and opponents alike.
“It’s a huge honour and a challenge I’m hugely excited about,” he says of the captaincy, “I am very fortunate to have a number of senior players around me who are leaders themselves and we’re all looking to share the responsibility this year. Hopefully the players can take ownership of that role and make this a successful year.”
Despite being a fairly quiet person, when he does talk, people pay attention. “I’m not one for many words but I like to think that when I do speak, the guys listen,” he explains of his captaincy style. “I’d like to set the example this year, treat everyone fairly and be the same person regardless of what might happen on the weekend or during the week.”
The leadership role is not a new one and he enjoyed leadership responsibilities growing up. “I captained a few sides at school and had a number of responsibilities in my matric year as well and I guess I’ve always enjoyed them.”
The Sharks squad has been bolstered in 2016 with some high profile signings and there is a steely determination amongst the players.
“We have a good squad this year,” he says. “Yes, we have said our goodbyes to some big name players, but they have been replaced by players looking to make a name for themselves and we also have a number of established guys who
have been here for a while.”
One of the new faces is Robert du Preez who played for the province during the successes of the 90s and is now part of the coaching structure. “His boys went to school in the province, he played here and that bodes well in developing a strong culture and passion for The Sharks. Pride in the jersey is something we really want to build on, not only on attack but also defence and the coaches are passionate about this. We want to pride ourselves on our defence. We want it to be feared.”
Their pre-season programme should give them the opportunity to test combinations and put into practice what they have been training for during the pre-season.
“Playing against Toulouse and Toulon in France will be an opportunity for the whole squad to get some game time under our belts against two powerhouses in French rugby. It will also provide a good measure of where we are before Super Rugby kicks off.”
He believes that now is a fresh start. “There are some new faces at the stadium, there’s an exciting energy at training and we’re ready to start a new chapter.
“We are putting the last couple of seasons behind us, we have a clean slate from which to work off. We want to get off to a positive start and hopefully make it a successful year. We want to make some happy memories this year.”
The post The Honour of Captaincy appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Full article here: Sharks Rugby – michaelm
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