Newcastle Falcons have announced that Pat Lam will captain the team for the forthcoming season.
Lam will lead the Falcons as they bid for glory in the Zurich Premiership, the National Cup and for their inaugural season in the Heineken Cup.
Samoan Lam re-signed for the Falcons at the beginning of the summer from Northampton, where he captained the side to victory in the Heineken Cup. Pat was a member of Championship winning Falcons side in the 1997/98 season and has decided to end his playing career at Newcastle. He made 41 appearances for Western Samoa before announcing his retirement from International rugby after captaining Samoa in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Falcons Director of Rugby, Rob Andrew, commented on his decision to appoint Pat Lam as captain.
"Pat has been an inspirational leader wherever he has played. He has come back to where he started his career in Britain and with all the young players in the club his leadership qualities will be invaluable."
Pat Lam will lead the Falcons for the first time this season at Kingston Park on Friday 10th August when the Falcons take on Glasgow Caledonians at 7.00pm for Richard Arnold's Testimonial. Tickets for the match are available by calling the Falcons New Ticket Line - 0870 085 6060