RIO DE JANEIRO -- It wasnt so much the microbes but the wind that made waves during Olympic rowing.For the first time since 1996, the Olympic regatta was not held in a purpose-built lake, but a natural lagoon that left rowers exposed to the elements in new ways.While worries about water pollution marked the run-up to the Rio de Janeiro Games, it was the wind swishing in from the mountains that stirred up trouble for rowers in narrow, unstable racing shells.American sculler Genevra Stone felt right at home in the choppy waters, which reminded her of her hometown.This is classic Boston basin, she said after winning silver in the womens single sculls. Same wind. We got some wake bounce and I was just like, `This is my thing. I can row through wakes.The British team also seemed comfortable in the conditions and topped the rowing medals table with three golds and two silvers.Others had a tough time.I was pretty close to sinking out there, which generally would be an indication that the course isnt rowable, Australias Kim Brennan, the worlds top female sculler, said after the first day of the regatta.She looked hopelessly lost amid the whitecaps on the lagoon, finishing her opening heat in third place behind Kenia Alanis of Mexico and Micheen Thornycroft of Zimbabwe, rowers who normally wouldnt be able to match her pace.It was chaotic, Thornycroft said. It was anyones game. Whoever could get their blades in and move.Brennan learned from the experience and dealt with the conditions better in subsequent heats. She led the final Saturday from start to finish to win Australias first Olympic gold in womens single sculls.This week was a reminder that a top rower needs to be truly ready for all conditions, said Matt Smith, executive director of the international rowing federation.At least two boats capsized during the regatta, which is unusual in elite races. Serbias mens pair overturned in its opening race and Kazakh sculler Vladislav Yakovlev flipped in two consecutive heats. The episodes received more attention given the concerns about water pollution in Rio de Janeiro.Hamish Bond, gold medalist with Eric Murray in the mens pair, likened the conditions on the first day of racing to walking down some stairs and when youre mid-stride the step gets three times the height.But he and Murray knew what to expect in Rio and said they had prepared for the conditions.The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a strip of land that holds the Ipanema and Leblon neighborhoods. The lagoon is much bigger and doesnt have the rectangular shape of an artificial race course.On two days, the winds were so strong that races were called off, but even on calmer days the water could be choppy.Conditions are expected to be easier for kayakers and canoeists racing on a shorter course for sprint events next week. A man and his dog were at Newlands on Wednesday afternoon but not to make up the proverbial crowd that usually attends domestic first-class matches here. The man was Faf du Plessis, who was making his first appearance as the new permanent Test captain. The dog was Giorgio, his nine-year old dachshund, who had a back operation earlier this year after becoming temporarily paralysed and now has his hind legs in a harness.Together they walked the outfield that is now du Plessis domain; the outfield on which South Africas captaincy conundrum has come full circle.It was on this ground that Hashim Amla announced he would not continue to captain, opening the door for AB de Villiers to do the job he always wanted. It was also on this ground that du Plessis, standing in for an injured de Villiers, led South Africa in completing a 5-nil ODI series whitewash over Australia to begin the conversation over whether the leadership role needed to be looked at again. And it was on this ground last Thursday that du Plessis played for the national cricket side against the national rugby side and afterwards found out that de Villiers had made the decision to give up the captaincy before anyone else could make it for him.I got the call just after the Proteas game against the Boks that AB is going to stand down for the Test matches, du Plessis said. I spoke to him that evening and I phoned him the next day just to make sure. My policy will always be one of being really honest, so it was just speaking as friends would do about going forward.De Villiers decision came on the back of his own injury problems. He has not yet recovered from an elbow problem and hasnt played for South Africa in almost six months, since their triangular series in the Caribbean. In that time the team have found the drive they lacked last summer and they have started winning again. It is obvious that they have got a good thing going and de Villiers did not want to stand in the way of that developing.AB has been amazing, du Plessis said. He has always been a guy that puts the team first, as youve seen by his making this decision. To be part of something like that says a lot about our culture but also shows a lot about AB as a person and how he values the team above himself. Du Plessis stressed that having his old schoolmates backing is the crucial to his captaincy. Thats something he said to me, that he will always be there no matter what and he will always back me. It was great to hear that from him. I got a call from Hashim as well, to say well done. Hashim passed it on to AB and then AB passed it on to me.While Amla has completely relinquished armbands of any description - except when leading du Plessis defense against ball-tampering - de Villiers remains in charge in some capaacity.dddddddddddd He is the ODI captain and should return to that role mid-January, when South Africa play Sri Lanka as they start their planning for Junes ICC event. Du Plessis has promised to offer him reciprocal commitment. AB is still captain in ODIs and I am really excited about that because he wants to win that Champions Trophy and I will be completely behind him, du Plessis said.Little else could be expected from two men who knew each other before the world knew either of them, more than two decades ago. To outsiders its a bromance between school-friends turned international team-mates but to South Africa, it means adjusting between captains. Split leadership was in vogue a few years ago but more recent thinking - including Graeme Smiths appreciation for streamlining the captaincy - has suggested it could be a curveball. Du Plessis played that down, saying the only difference between de Villiers and him is that his friend is the brightest star in South Africas sporting sky while du Plessis is just one of the troops - albeit one who has the teams buy-in. AB leads from performance - he is a guy that every time he steps onto the field, you want to be better as a player because he is that good. He is a freak when it comes to cricket. He always puts himself out there and he gives 150%, so its easy for a team to follow that, du Plessis said. My style is a little bit different to that. I am not as good as AB is, so I have to rely on other qualities. I try and challenge a team as much as I can. For me its harder work, I suppose.But its also work that du Plessis loves. He has long said captaincy brings out the best in him and he has proved it with two hundreds in five Tests as stand-in captain. The longest format is his first love and leading in it gives him his greatest joy.Being a Test captain is almost the first time when people really take you seriously. T20 is like fun, the X-factor of cricket. Test cricket is, for me the most enjoyable time to be a captain because you have to work on plans for a long period of time, you have to strategise how you are going to get guys out and continuously challenge guys over a long period of time, du Plessis said. Its a huge honour and I will be taking it very seriously.Just at that moment, things became completely un-serious. Giorgio grew restless, shifted between the cameras and the reporters, wandered towards the pitch and eventually sat at du Plessis feet, looking up with puppy eyes and whimpering. His wish was du Plessis command. Mid-interview, Giorgio was lifted off the floor and cuddled. Between this man and his dog, theres no doubt who the real boss is. ' ' '