Who should captain the Wallabies?

A topic that has raged for some weeks, and only intensified now the Wallabies squad has been selected, is who will be awarded the captaincy.

While numerous threads have been hijacked on this topic before now, I thought I’d try to start one dedicated to the topic and explore some of the options.

This is far from the first time debate about the captaincy has raged. Writing this article I was gripped by a feeling of déjà-vu and looking back on the articles I’ve written for the Roar, I discovered why.

Numerous minds better than mine have written of the qualities a captain should possess over the years. Rather than debate them again and how they should be weighted, I thought I’d just launch in and run through the options.

In what I consider a rough likelihood order, here they are:

Stephen Moore
Pros: Guaranteed starter, respected.
Cons: A bit penalty prone, perhaps not the best communicator, limited captaining experience.

Probably the leading candidate at this stage given he is one of the few guaranteed starters and has a wealth of playing experience. Communication skills have been called into question by some. Seems the kind of guy that calls a spade a spade, which some people don’t react well to. Can certainly lead by example. Plays very close to the limit in terms of penalties and can often stray over the line.

James Horwill
Pros: Plenty of captaincy experience, generally respected.
Cons: Not in the best form, recent blow-ups at refereeing decisions.

When a player is playing in and captaining a team going poorly, it reflects very badly on that player and I think Horwill is in this position. I tend to think he isn’t actually playing that badly and has come on a bit later in the season, but let’s just say there is a big question mark over his personal form.

He’s clearly a really passionate man. He is used to the captaincy role and a good communicator. Recent blow-ups at referees are not good – the respect he is held in by referees surely takes a blow from such comments. Regardless of whether they are true – let’s not start that debate again.

I think Ewan McKenzie will want Rob Simmons as the lineout caller for now so if we are going to have Luke Jones or Will Skelton replacing any of the incumbent locks, you’d have to think it would be Horwill. Unless he goes for Scott Higginbotham as the lineout caller.

Michael Hooper
Pros: Guaranteed starter, respected.
Cons: No real captaincy experience, a penalty-prone position.

An amazing amount of speculation on Hooper taking the captaincy. In all my years I don’t think I’ve seen someone so young and with virtually no captaincy experience being given so much serious consideration.

I am huge fan of Hooper. The first time I saw him play I said he would play for the Wallabies. And the first time I heard him in a post-match interview I said he might even captain them one day. I still believe that, but don’t think he is ready yet. The awkward Rugby HQ interview didn’t help.

Hooper should have been given the captaincy at the Waratahs earlier in the season. Would have been better for the Waratahs, and for Hooper, and I think he’d be in a better position now to captain the Wallabies.

Scott Higginbotham
Pros: Captaincy experience, generally respected, seems to rise with captaincy.
Cons: Up and down form, penalty prone, can get refs offside.

Starting to get into the more left-field choices now but Scott was raised as a potential the other day. He seems like a really friendly, decent chap in interviews and really seemed to take to the captaincy role when he moved to the Rebels.

Many have, perhaps rightly, questioned his selection in the team and whether he has the right sort of game for international level. That may be true, but on the other hand the fact that he could slot in at six or eight is a big plus. He is also a genuine lineout option and has some experience as a lineout caller. And I feel Ewan McKenzie would like to develop some options there besides just Simmons, now that Ben Mowen is moving on.

Matt Hodgson
Pros: Good captaincy experience, respected.
Cons: Not a guaranteed starter, newly back as a Wallaby, penalty-prone position.

Just like Scott Higginbotham, Hodgson is not a guaranteed starter. While his form has been better than Scott’s this season, his problem might be his lack of versatility in positions. And of course standing in his way in the one position he is specialised in is a young guy having a better season.

Matt does clearly have good captaincy experience and has been around for a while. While this is a plus it might also be a negative as Ewen looks to the future. Matt is more of a ‘follow me’ type leader. If anything he plays even closer to the edge than Stephen Moore and Michael Hooper and seems to get caught overstepping the line on many occasions. So while he is a good communicator and inspirer of teammates, I’m not sure his relationships with the referees is quite as good.

If Ewen could find a way to fit Hooper and Hodgson in the same back row, Matt could be an option. Personally I’d love to see them tried at six and seven – at least for a half – but too much of a gamble to base your captaincy on.

Adam Ashley-Cooper
Pros: Close to guaranteed starter, generally respected.
Cons: No real captaincy experience, perhaps not the best communicator.

Everyone I’ve listed so far is a forward. Adam is probably the likeliest candidate in the backs. Although he has been around for a while, he seems continually overlooked as a captain option and there is surely some reason behind this.

I think his form this season means he is guaranteed a spot in the team but there is at least one other, younger up-and-comer knocking at the door in his preferred position in Tevita Kuridrani. And if he is relegated to the wing then there are up-and-comers there too like Henry Speight and Joe Tomane.

So I think Adam would be a real stop-gap solution, and if Ewan is going that route, he’d be better picking an alternative stop-gap.

Will Genia
Pros: Captaincy experience, generally respected.
Cons: Poor form this season and not a guaranteed starter.

If the form of Will and the Reds had been just a little bit better this season I think Will would be a lot higher on this list. And if the clock were wound back a few years, he’d be a shoe-in.

Like George Gregan before him, Will is well used to barking orders and leading the troops around the field. And though his form is down, I think he is still respected by other players and, in general, referees. Perhaps through frustration, the tone of communication has changed over recent times but I don’t think he has put referees offside in quite the same way as the current Reds captain.

Despite his poor form, it wouldn’t be a total shock were Ewan to pick Genia in the run-on side. Showing faith by awarding him the captaincy might even provide the injection of confidence that Will needs.

Scott Fardy
Pros: Virtually guaranteed starter, respected.
Cons: Essentially no captaincy experience, perhaps not the best communicator, penalty prone.

Back to the forwards again. Scott is an intriguing possibility. Virtually a guaranteed starter and an option for a number of positions. Been around for a while and doesn’t shirk the hard work so can lead by example. A considered, well-spoken guy but not really all that vocal on the field.

He’s getting on a bit and so you’d guess not a long-term captaincy option, but if we’re going for stop-gap, we could do a lot worse than Scott.

Matt Toomua
Pros: Virtually guaranteed starter, fairly well respected.
Cons: Quiet, essentially no captaincy experience.

If you’re going to pick a youngster with virtually no captaincy experience, why not a level-headed guy who is close to the action to call the shots in a variety of positions, rarely penalised and an almost guaranteed starter? If you say it quickly it makes sense but, like Hooper, proven captaincy experience at a lower level is surely required first.

And while Hooper can be seen revving up fellow forwards all the time, I struggle to imagine Matt Toomua giving his forwards a bollocking the way George Gregan used to. He just doesn’t quite have the runs on the board yet to pull that off.

Israel Folau
Pros: Guaranteed starter, respected.
Cons: Captaining from fullback, lack of captaincy experience, quiet.

Obviously any player in the entire squad is theoretically a contender and I have to cut this list off somewhere. From here there begins a long list of players with more cons than pros and who don’t really offer anything over players already listed.

I thought Israel Folau was worth mentioning because he is the most guaranteed starter – the first guy picked by many – and yet never mentioned as a potential captain.

I’m aware of the reasons Folau is never mentioned. He is very quite and soft-spoken. Even the best of fullbacks are rarely captains. He only recently converted to rugby and the Wallabies and might still not be as savvy on rules, positional play and strategy as older, wiser heads. And we are still not 100 per cent clear on his future in rugby as well.

But consider the positives. He is a very polite young man and clean player. When he does speak, people listen. Opposition players and referees have enormous respect for him. He is inspirational on the field. Call it another stop-gap if you like but such a thing might actually prolong his time in rugby – what other convert has been made captain of his country?

But the point of this isn’t to please Folau – it’s to get the best out of the Wallabies. I wonder how rewarding a newcomer who is excelling and loving his rugby would look to other players over simply awarding captaincy based on seniority.

Summary
I think Stephen Moore is still the leading candidate and preferred choice as captain, but I think Scott Higginbotham is more of a smokey for the role than Michael Hooper. Just as likely though might be for Ewan McKenzie to revert to James Horwill for now, let another season play out and then re-assess closer to the World Cup.

Over the next year I suspect we will see new captains at both the Brumbies and the Waratahs. Ewen neither needs to or will try to pick a captain for the World Cup over the next week. Instead he will pick whoever is best for the immediate present and cross future bridges when he gets to them.

While there will be only one captain, I’ve no doubt all of the guys I’ve mentioned will show something more important – leadership – both on the field and in training. Captaincy is nevertheless the next decision I await eagerly from Ewan, along with fellow Wallaby supporters.