South African reaction:Most people this side of the equator saw Paul O'Connell's selection as captain of the Lions Tour to South Africa coming, but Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has expressed surprise the Munster man was picked ahead of Brian O'Driscoll.
"I am surprised 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 in a statement today.
"Having said that O'Connell is the captain of Munster and has also captained Ireland and we will not underestimate his leadership capabilities."
De Villiers’s captain John Smit reckons the choice of O'Connell's selection is an attempt by coach Ian McGeechan to copy the successful formula that helped the 1997 Lions beat the Springboks under another lock in England’s Martin Johnson.
"Paul O'Connell is a team man who is well respected internationally and it is obvious they are trying to replicate the vibe and momentum they had with the same coach in 1997," said the World Cup-winner.
"There is depth in every position which is what they will need on a long and tough tour. We expect there will be strong competition for places in all positions."
Smit was not surprised the Lions squad was dominated by players from Ireland and Wales.
"We always expected them to pick strong and aggressive forwards, which indicates they see the scrum and lineout as key elements," he said. "Overall it is a very strong team and one that will provide a big challenge for us on our home ground."
The 31-year-old Smit is set to play his 82nd test and captain South Africa for the 56th time when he leads the Springboks in the first match in Durban on June 20th.
De Villiers said he would look to blood a few newcomers in the three-match series but added the bulk of his squad would be chosen from a tried and tested group of players.
"There are a few injury concerns but we expect all of the leading contenders will be fit when we assemble in June," he said before adding no date had yet been set for his own squad announcement.
The only warm-up match for the Springboks is against a Namibian invitational team in Windhoek on May 29th.
Under the 51-year-old the team has recorded nine wins in 13 tests, including a maiden triumph over New Zealand in Dunedin and record victories over Australia (53-8) and Argentina (63-9) in Johannesburg and England (42-6) at Twickenham.
However, South Africa also lost 19-0 to the All Blacks in Cape Town on the way to finishing bottom of the Tri-Nations table.
