Matfield to skipper Springboks

South Africa lock Victor Matfield has been appointed captain for the Test against Italy on Saturday.

Matfield takes the armband from regular skipper John Smit, who has been ruled out of the match, along with Percy Montgomery, as the duo will return to their club sides Clermont and Perpignon respectively for the French Top 14 play-offs.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers had high praise for Matfield in making the announcement.

"Victor is a rugby genius, but more than that he understands people," he said SA Rugby's official website. "He has shown outstanding leadership qualities since joining the squad, and he made this decision very easy for me."

De Villiers added that Matfield has now been made the official vice-captain, meaning he will step up whenever Smit is unavailable.

"It's a tremendous honour for me to captain my country and I'm grateful to Peter for the opportunity," said Matfield. "It wasn't something I thought about or expected, but I'm very happy to take on the responsibility in John's absence."

South Africa face Italy at Newlands.