New Australia captain Greg Inglis apologises for drink driving but is banned for New Zealand tour

New Australia captain Greg Inglis has apologised after being caught drink driving just hours after his appointment, but has still been hit with a two Test ban.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs player was appointed as his country's new skipper on Monday, but was then charged with drink driving just hours later.

He has now been banned from the upcoming two-Test tour of New Zealand, but says it is up to the National Rugby League to decide if he can retain the captain's armband.

"We'll just wait and see what the NRL decide, it's out of my hands now," Inglis told reporters in Sydney.

"But it's still something that I'd really love, to be Australian captain. Obviously we have standards there so it's disappointing from my end."

Australian rugby league coach Mal Meninga handed Inglis the captaincy on Monday, selecting the Queenslander over main rival Boyd Cordner.

However, the 31-year-old was pulled over for speeding in a black Mercedes that afternoon near Lithgow, west of Sydney, and failed a breath test.

Inglis, who had been attending an indigenous sports carnival and said he mistakenly felt he was under the limit and able to drive, is set to appear in Lithgow Local Court on November 22.

"I don't think I've let my country down but I have let a lot of people down because of where I stand in the game as a proud indigenous role model," he said.

"I think I've let a lot of kids down, a lot of people down in the sense of that community."

Inglis said he believed he still deserved the captaincy and expected the matter to be dealt with by late Wednesday.

"In 13 years I haven't had any charges laid against me or been involved in any incidents at all, so hopefully we'll wait and see," he said.

However, Test selector Laurie Daley said Inglis' position as skipper was untenable and called for him to step down.

Daley, himself a former Test captain, said Meninga had previously taken a hard line on player misbehaviour and could not let a drink driving offence slide.

"I don't think you can have the Australian captain going DUI (driving under the influence)," he told commercial radio.

"I'm pretty sure Greg and Mal will come to the decision that he needs to step down as captain of his country. He's let himself down. He's let the game down and he'll pay a massive price for that."

Inglis checked into a rehabilitation centre last year to deal with depression and other mental health issues but said the latest incident was unrelated.

"This has got nothing to do with my mental health, this had got everything to do with me making one of those stupid mistakes that I shouldn't have done," he added.