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The biggest adrenalin pump in world rugby is to lead your country onto the home of rugby at Twickenham. Tomorrow night Ben Mowen will realise how big a buzz that really is.
Overnight the Brumbies captain was named skipper of the Wallabies against England to kick start the end-of-year tour of five games.
Mowen must remain captain for all five.
Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie made the call of the campaign to replace incumbent James Horwill, working on the tried-and-tested formula if you don’t put in you’re put out.
Horwill was lucky he wasn’t benched, after his lock partner Rob Simmons re-injured his knee and was ruled out.
In a double executive move, Quade Cooper was named vice-captain over Will Genia. The Cooper haters will have choked on their Weet-Bix this morning, but to any fair-minded rugby supporter, McKenzie’s recognition of Cooper’s outstanding rehab from team prat to team leader deserved to be praised in a tangible fashion.
So an entirely new Wallaby executive for Twickenham, and hopefully with it an entirely new attitude and passion.
Both were evident against the Pumas in Rosario, and to a lesser extent against the All Blacks at Dunedin, but not enough.
It’s an 80-minute game, and Wallaby fans expect and deserve an 80-minute performance – forget the fits and starts.
Mowen does the full journey automatically, and that’s one of the major reasons why his appointment is spot on.
But like Cooper, there’s a band of Mowen-haters as well, beyond my comprehension.
When I first flagged Mowen as Wallaby skipper three months ago, I was howled down with gems like “David Lord is clearly becoming a little senile”, and “No way should Mowen be captain over Horwill, James leads from the front while Mowen hides somewhere and sweet talks referees”.
It never ceases to amaze me me how wrong so many people can be, but that’s their prerogative, and the forum to air those thoughts is right here on The Roar.
Mowen is captaincy material alright, he’s proved that for two seasons with the Brumbies after being cold-shouldered by the Waratahs, and proved it conclusively.
Sure it’s a big step up the quality ladder to Test level, but the basic ingrediants are still the same – snap positive decision-making and lead from the front.
Quade Cooper will do just that out the back. Expect a big one tomorrow night from the number ten with the added responsibility.
Genia needs a rocket as does Horwill, and if both up their antes, the Wallabies will be well on the way to beating England on their soil, one of the most satisfying victories of all.
But as is always the case, the Wallaby front row is the big question mark.
There’s plenty of experience in James Skipper, Stephen Moore, and Ben Alexander, and on the bench with Saia Fainga’a, Benn Robinson, and Sekope Kepu.
If they hold their own, and pull their weight, the first leg of a possible Grand Slam will be locked away because the backs will do the rest, with big expectations on Israel Folau.
Anything less overall, and this tour is stuffed from game one.