There are concerns around a lack of candidates for the Lions captaincy, but does it really matter?
The Lions squad is announced on 19th April and as ever, a lot of attention and speculation has focused on who will be captain. Betting has been suspended on the favourite, Sam Warburton, despite the recent news he has been ruled out for six weeks with injury.
The captain question has also raised some concerns, as there seem to be few suitable candidates. The requirements touted for the potential captain are apparently extensive, including: tactical acumen, being assured of their place in the starting XV, being an inspiring presence, being able to win over the referee and playing in a suitable position (few captains are wingers, for example).
The respective captains from each home nation (and therefore normally the leading contenders) – Dylan Hartley, Rory Best, Alun Wyn Jones and Greg Laidlaw/John Barclay – are far from guaranteed a place on the plane, let alone in the test team.
Last year, a lot was made of Eddie Jones’ decision to appoint Dylan Hartley as England captain. A hard-nosed, accept-no-compromises figure who would give England back the steel they hard seemingly lost under the respectable school-prefect leadership of Robshaw. It is considered a brilliant decision and one which was the catalyst for their victories.
But how important is the captain really?
Tactical nous
The captain in a rugby match does have some tactical responsibility – they make the call whether to kick for the corner or posts, and they need to offer clarity and give orders when the team is under pressure – to tell his half-backs to get them the hell out their 22 and not run it, for example.
This element was something Chris Robshaw never quite mastered – I am thinking of the two late (and opposite) mistakes against Australia and South Africa in 2012, and the costly Wales World Cup pool game.
But most captains get the decisions right. A rugby captain does not have to be a strategic genius and mastermind the gameplan the way a cricket captain does. In the game, players are responsible for their individual roles, within a team whose structure and tactics have been finely honed on the training field. There are degrees of flexibility and decision-making built into that, but at the top level the captain should hardly be shouting at each player, explaining what they need to do and personally moving them around the field to fit newly-devised tactics.
Engagement with the referee
A difference in rugby from other sports is the sacred rule that only the captain should talk to the referee (although if you have watched Wales recently you may be forgiven for forgetting that). This is often seen as a vital component of the game – win over the referee and you get an advantage.
But I don’t really believe the refs (again I am talking about at the top level) are so easily influenced and are petty, or will be subjective and judge against a team because of their captain. Any slightly subjective decisions they make will be based on individual players’ performance (e.g. a view a particular prop is buckling and going down first in the scrum) not the captain’s relationship with him.
Playing devil’s advocate: if referees were really that petty then surely England having a captain like Hartley who was red carded and banned for abusing a referee would be a mistake?
Any captain should be capable of being polite and clear to a ref, it is not a role requiring Machiavellian manipulation.
Part-time captains
Most interesting for me is how many captains only play part of the match. Hartley and another of the Lions nations’ captains, Rory Best, are hookers. Other hooker captains outside the home nations include Stephen Moore for Australia and Guilhem Guirado for France. Prop Gethin Jenkins was Wales captain before Alun Wyn Jones, another non-80 minute position.
If the captain is so important, why are so many current examples players who do not play a full match? When the game is in limbo – say 2 points down with 5 minutes to go – would you not want them on the pitch, as a rallying point and source of inspiration.
To use Hartley again as an example. For Eddie Jones’ run as coach, his captain’s time on the field has been getting shorter. I did some maths: in the 2016 Six Nations, Hartley averaged 71 minutes across the five games. For the three tests in Australia he averaged 68 minutes. Come the 2016 Autumn Internationals and he is down to 56 minutes. Now in this year’s Six Nations it’s 52 minutes, which included a paltry 46 against Wales.
Hartley has never finished a game under Jones, surely that is surprising for a captain. Several of those England matches were won at the death – think France and Wales (that 46-minute cameo) this year – when Hartley was not on the pitch. Owen Farrell is taking over the captain role when Hartley leaves. Given the most crucial captain decisions are probably being made at the end of the match, and Farrell is making them, why not just make him captain from the beginning?
The aura
One element I will definitely agree with is the importance of a captain to inspire and encourage in camp; setting the tone and raising the levels of the players around him. This is what Hartley has been so brilliant at for England. All the talk from within the squad has been about the excellent ethos and how Hartley has led from the front as Jones’ lieutenant.
However, I think this has boxed Jones into a hole – clearly Hartley is important to him for the way he leads the squad, but decreasingly so as the match-day captain. The view that these are the same role has meant a compromise, one where arguably his best hooker is starting on the bench.
What this all means for me is the Lions captaincy is not an important decision. Or at least, not as important a decision as it is made out to be. Certainly, Gatland should pick a tour captain – someone with that aura, to raise the levels in training and help a group of individuals from four different nations bond. But they do not have to be the match-day captain or a guaranteed starter (as this is one of the most competitive tours in recent memory there are few of them anyway). The assumption the same person must fulfil both roles is a mistake.
Then just pick the test captain from your starting XV – the only criteria is it be whoever you trust to make the right call at the death. But definitely don’t take a gamble on April 19 and choose your test captain then, hoping he will remain both in form and the leading player for his position.
What do you think? Is the captain important to a rugby team?
By Henry Ker
I don’t agree with your view regarding the captains interaction with the ref.
Clearing up the refs interpretations of the rules
pointing out repeat offences (even when its the first time the oppo have actually done it)
Relaying instructions from the ref (like next offence in this area is a yellow) to the team in a clear concise manner
are all crucial to making sure your team come out on the right side of the whistle
Also worth noting that Hartley clearly failed on first one against Itlay and AWJ is crap at the second and third
No nation captain is good enough right now for the lions. I bet for Owen Farrell or Maro Itoje. If given a chance, I think Omahony is a great captain, but fails in the engagement with the referee, and is Gatland probably wont call him, but I think he would be a great lion captain. Honest player, always gives hes best and his passion and will motivates players.
I think you are right that O Mahoney would be a great captain but you are way off in terms of his interaction with the ref. This is one of his strongest traits. A youtube search of O Mahoney talking to refs will convince you I believe. His engagement with the referee is excellent.
The captain needs to be capable of dealing with PRESSURE, as this will surely be tested in NZ, away from home, with little prep time, a coach whose team have frankly underachieved, where his team will be softened up by ‘frothy’ S rugby sides & v b2b W Champs! He’ll need to lead by e.g., command team respect, communicate EFFECTIVELY with the ref & make the ‘correct’ decisions about what to do to WIN. If he achieves all that my son, he’ll have arrived. I’d go for Best. But personally, I wouldn’t want the job for all the free beer vouchers from CAMRA!
NZ is no country for young men, so forget Farrell & Itoje. They have little, or nxt to no track record of captaincy exp @ Int’al level.
What about billy vunipola? Vice captain like Farrell for England and a starter on a lot of pundit team sheets.
I’ve not seen him mentioned before in these discussions
So you want an Englander then? Well, Hartley is the only exp ‘1’.. & he hasn’t transgressed whilst on Int’al duty. IMO, though, Gatland will prob go for Warburton or AWJ.. who are known to him & are both EXP!
To make the decision even more difficult, I would want my captain has the best chance of staying fit for the whole tour. I know it’s a sport where players get injured all the time, but some people clearly have a better fitness record than others.
This would clearly rule out Warburton as he can’t seem to stay fit for more than a month.
I’m also not convinced in AWJ’s recent record as captain. He has failed to stop some of his charges from waving their arms around like spoilt kids and primadonna footballers when they think they should get a decision etc. I don’t think he is currently in the top 5 of the lock options for the Lions either.
Best is a good option, but he is not likely to play a full 80 minutes. He has lead Ireland in some tough matches and come out on top. I think the starting 2 shirt is between him and George in terms of ability around the field.
Heaslip has previously been proved as a leader on tour, but I’m not sure he is going to make the squad as there are so many better back row options.
Barclay or Laidlaw are not likely to even get on the plane, so I think we can rule them out.
For me Hartley probably won’t kame the squad. George, Best and Owens are all better hookers in my opinion.
Farrell is a good option. He has been the on field general during recent matches when Hartley has been subbed and he’s made good decisions. Works well under pressure and has matured in recent seasons to become a good communicator with referees. The question is will he get a starting berth? Will he form a midfield partnership with Sexton, or will he start on the bench?
Is Itoje really in with a chance of being a Lions captain before captaining his country? He has the ability to do it. He is a good clear communicator and motivator on the field. He may not have top level experience as a captain, but his record as a captain of England U20’s was highly impressive. He is also very likely to be starting.
“Is Itoje really in with a chance of being a Lions captain before captaining his country? He has the ability to do it.”
Young, uncompromising, hungry, English lock captaining the B&I Lions before leading their own country out. Does this ring familiar to anyone?
Warburton injured asis AWJ also not good enough nor Best or Hartley. That leaves Murray Sexton Farrell and Itoje iwould go for Itoje
The question you ask is this:
Is the Captain important to a Rugby Team? Not who is the best Lions candidate for Captain. In my opinion the Captain of a Rugby team is the most important player in the squad! Period! However, that person need not be the best player in the squad or certain of his position and often the best captains are not the best starting choice for that position. Rugby is a very fluid, fast paced and technically challenging game that requires a confident, assertive and decisive “lieutenant” to the coach who has the overall respect of his peers. In addition he must be able to communicate the team ethos and work-ethic on a daily basis to the players. A peer that the players respond to and are prepared to “die” for. This captain/coach relationship of absolute trust is non-negotiable and is critical to long term success, and this should actually be the question. There are plenty of examples to quote: Famously Philip Nel remains the only captain to win a Bok series in NZ and he was not the best player – that was certainly either Danie Craven/Boy Louw or Gerry Brand – in fact Nel never even played all the test matches ; closer to current times Pienaar was not the best Flank or arguably Captain in 1995 – as there was Tiaan Strauss to consider – yet his relationship with Kitch was unparalleled; Teichmann and Mallet were unbeatable whereas Mallet and Bobby/Joost were beaten. Mallet has since acknowledged axing Teichmann in favour of a “better” player was a mistake; Smit wasn’t our best Hooker in 2007 with Bizmarck in his prime, but his relationship with Jake was fundamental to the success of the team. Currently, the success and re-building of the Lions has a lot to do with the relationship between Whiteley and Ackermann. The Stormers have also come on greatly since they ditched the “leadership group” idea and Robbie is cementing an understanding with Kolisi (who is hugely respected by the players). In contrast the Bulls are dying, partly because Strauss has no “aura” and seems to have no connection with Nollis. And Free State struggle because they continually lose captains just when a relationship is starting to develop. Martin Johnson and Woodward need no further discussion except to say that both have proved how useless they are without the other. And then to Eddy. There is absolutely no doubt that his philosophy of a coach/captain nexus is core to his success and one of his “open-secrets”. His appointment and management (by limiting his game time) of this critical resource is fundamental to his success and to interpret it as anything else is missing the obvious. I suspect that he will be secretly delighted if Dylan isn’t selected at all.