Hooker Jason Macdonald will captain the Highlanders in the early rounds of the Super 14.
Coach Glenn Moore confirmed yesterday he had named Macdonald and halfback Jimmy Cowan as joint vicecaptains but Macdonald would lead the Highlanders until the return from injury of captain Craig Newby.
Cowan captained the Highlanders in their run against the Chiefs in Invercargill on January 26. Macdonald would take over the reins for the final warm-up match against the Blues at Carisbrook on Friday night.
‘‘Jason’s got leadership qualities which have been evident for quite some time,‘‘ Moore said yesterday.
‘‘He’s got good game awareness and he’s good at communicating that.’’
Moore said it was a tough decision to overlook Cowan for the captaincy but he said the
Southland halfback had an important role to play for the team this year in leading the backline.
Newby recently told the Otago Daily Times he expects to miss the first three or four rounds of the Super 14 after undergoing surgery last month on an injured foot.
The injury restricted his appearances for Otago in the Air New Zealand Cup last year.
Macdonald was the first choice to stand in for Newby as Otago captain, but he missed the entire competition because of an achilles tendon injury.
‘‘The prognosis for Craig is not as bad as we first feared so we’re looking forward to having him back,’’ Moore said.
‘‘In the meantime, we are pleased we have the type of leadership material provided by Jason and Jimmy.’’
Meanwhile, injury has ruled out three players from Friday’s clash with the Blues.
Loose-forward Steven Setephano damaged a shoulder during last week’s Highlanders trial in Oamaru and he will be rested in the hope of being fit for the season opener against the Reds the following week.
Aaron Bancroft copped a stray finger in the eye in the same game and has bleeding behind the eye, while lock Hoani MacDonald is still recovering from a broken finger.
