South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said he was "surprised" by the choice of Ireland's Paul O'Connell as captain of the British and Irish Lions squad that will face the world champion Springboks.
O'Connell may be the captain of European champions Munster but for Ireland he plays under Brian O'Driscoll, also included in the 37-man squad announced by coach Ian McGeechan on Tuesday for the 10-match, three-Test tour of South Africa, which starts on May 30.
Earlier this season O'Driscoll led Ireland to their first Grand Slam since 1948 and de Villiers said he was taken aback after McGeechan didn't appoint the midfielder, the Lions' captain in New Zealand four years ago, to the position once again.
"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," de Villiers said in a statement issued by SA Rugby.
"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.
"This is a huge accolade for Paul O'Connell and it will come with great responsibility," de Villiers added.
Of the 37-man squad, 27 players are from Ireland and Wales with McGeechan placing an emphasis on physically aggressive performers who will seek to at least match the powerful Springboks in an area which is one of the home side's traditional strengths.
And South Africa captain John Smit said: "It is not surprising the squad is dominated by players from the two teams that contested the Six Nations title."
The front-row added: "We always expected them to pick strong and aggressive forwards, which indicates that they see the scrum and lineout as key elements of the contest."
The Lions last went to South Africa in 1997, when McGeechan was also their coach and won the Test series 2-1 under the leadership of Martin Johnson who, like O'Connell, was a lock who was not yet captain of his country.
"The captain 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 that they had with the same coach in 1997," said Smit.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
