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The Wallabies are facing a difficult situation at present with the squad selection date for the France series looming.
There are a variety of factors at play regarding not only which players will be picked, but which player will lead them.
Although this squad selection is for the three game series against the French, not the Rugby Championship and certainly not the 2015 World Cup, it is important to select a captain to lead us for the long term.
The starting team may change between now and Rugby World Cup 2015, but it is imperative to have consistency concerning the selection of the leadership group and the captain.
Several names spring to mind, obviously the captains of Australian Super teams will be considered.
Out of those, Matt Hodgson is excluded from the captaincy debate due to lack of Wallabies selection over the past few seasons, although his form this year definitely warrants discussion for a Wallabies jersey.
Dave Dennis, the current Waratahs skipper, is not certain to make the extended Wallabies squad therefore ruling out captaincy duties also.
Ben Mowen’s decision to go to Europe next year in my opinion renders it pointless to continue selecting him this year when we could give a possible 2015 Rugby World Cup player precious experience.
Scott Higginbotham has performed wonderfully as Rebels captain, yet skippering your country on the biggest stage is a completely different beast. Too often it seems Higginbotham makes rushed decisions when the penalty goes the Rebels way. I want Scotty starting at No. 8 for the green and gold exhibiting his aggression and enthusiasm without the restrictions that the captaincy can have on a player.
For James Horwill’s case I am in two minds. I am and always have been a great fan of his play and leadership, yet the performances of the Reds this season bring forth the dangerous shadows of doubt on not only his ability to captain the Wallabies to Rugby World Cup success, but to even make the starting team based on form.
If selected he will be entering the Wallabies frame from a losing atmosphere at the Reds, as well his underwhelming 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign where he was captain.
I stress that that campaign was underwhelming due not to his performances on the pitch, but poor team selection and game strategy. If he can find his normal destructive gameplay, I would be fine with him making the 23, but just not as captain.
We then come to the options for Wallabies captain who aren’t captains of their Super teams.
The main contenders are Stephen Moore, Mike Hooper and Will Genia.
In a perfect world, David Pocock’s knee would be fine and he would already be Wallabies captain. He is the premier seven in the world when fit and his leadership qualities have never been questioned.
It is his word-class ability when healthy that makes the Hooper captaincy argument a dubious one.
Being an avid Tahs fan, I believe Hooper is a talent. My one previous criticism of his play is now a non issue, and his ball running, tackling and work rate are things to be admired.
However do we take the risk of making him captain now, when there is a possibility of Pocock being fully fit and replacing him in the line-up before the World Cup next year?
I believe the worst thing this country’s rugby team could do would be to change their captain in 2015. Consistency in leadership is vital for consistent results.
Stephen Moore is a leading candidate for the captaincy and so he should be. He is the only player in this article who is a certainty for selection if fit, his experience and quality of play are unquestioned and if made captain would certainly be around for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
If Moore is picked as skipper it would leave selectors to be able to change the rest of the team over the next year according to form, not having to worry about affecting team chemistry by dropping the captain.
I will not argue for Genia’s case as it is largely the same situation as Horwill’s. Like Horwill, he comes from the poorly performing Reds and his position is also not cemented due to the outstanding 2014 play of Nic White.
Who will have the little ‘c’ next to their name in June, and more importantly in the 2015 RWC?
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