Bok shock over O’Connell captaincy

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has revealed his surprise at the appointment of Paul O’Connell as captain of the British and Irish Lions squad.

However, the Springbok boss, who was anticipating a team led by Ireland skipper Brian O’Driscoll, believes that the tour party named by opposite number 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.