Who should captain the lions.

[Oldschool]

Now no provincial bias here please.
Consistency, as in he's the current captain of Ireland, suggests BOD.
However, is a different kind of Captains role required for SA?
Answers/Opinions with justification for your selection please!

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Anyone but Ryan Jones!!!!! Ihope he'll be watching the Lions on tv from Wales because i don't rate him as a player and honestly think he's still living off the form he showed in 2005.He's a terrible leader too. His trip on O'Gara was pathetically stupid as was his sheepish attempt to hold off O'Callaghan.Another telling indication of his awful captaincy/leadership skills was last years HC QF when Hook tried to catch a ball behind his back and knocked it forward,would that have happened in a team captained by BOD or POC? I doubt it!

[Danthefan]

BOD.

[Comer Toes]

Either BOD or POC - I don't really have a preference and both will be calling the shots anyway. I've a feeling geech will go for POC, as much to take some of the pressure off BOD for a while as anything else. I'm not sure Ryan Jones would even make my squad nevermind captaincy.

[tones]

Either BOD or POC - I don't really have a preference and both will be calling the shots anyway. I've a feeling geech will go for POC, as much to take some of the pressure off BOD for a while as anything else. I'm not sure Ryan Jones would even make my squad nevermind captaincy.

One of the two and can see arguments for either. POC being in the pack and closer to the coal-face, BOD having experience - good and bad of captaincy at test level.

[BIG DAN]

Has to be BOD. He'l lead the team by example and they need that if they're not playing well. Where as POC only tends to shine when the team is playing well.

[Broken Wing]

BO'D.

PO'C has been very good for Ireland but BO'D has been outstanding and deserves another shot after his chances were cynically ruined in Kiwistan.

[BlueArmyOriginal]

If I dont get the call then BOD, I think he's got slightly better leadership qualities than POC and would relish a chance to properly captain the tour without any spear tackles or big rivers of Woodward bullsh1t.

So brilliant for the game here that the only 2 real options that can be seen are Irish. Have there ever been 2 consecutive Irish Lions captains?

Edit: Just remembered the coach has said he prefers captains to be in the pack and we're playing against arguably the best pack in test rugby so it'll be POC.

[Kyle]

Geech is known to favour a forward as a captain and up agains the Boks i sont think this will be any different. Just look at 97 when (and at the time this was a surprise) he gave the captaincy to Martin Johnson cause he needed someone that the Boks would fear and who wasnt afraid to get stuck in.

Both BOD and POC arent afriad to get stuck in and while my heart says BOD (and please God let it be him he deseves it!) my head says POC. That being said another Irish captian of the Lions would be huge!

[jezzer]

Having had his tour and captaincy taken away from him last time out, I think there'll be a strong push for BOD to be captain. It can only be a guy who's nailed on to play in every test and the cadidate list there is pretty short.

Blair will travel, but maybe not as a Test starter. Best may not go at all. Jason White may not go at all. Even less likely Julian White. Borthwick is an outside chance for a test place. I think Lewsey will probably travel, but no way as captain.

Ryan Jones is probably good enough to oust Ferris/Croft from 6 or Heaslip/Taylor from 8 on a given day, but I can't see how his place won't come under pressure during the tour at some point - if even only on a horses-for-courses basis.

It looks down to POC or BOD (Blair as an outside bet) and in that event it has to be BOD.

[intothewest]

I would love if POC got it, and bias aside, i agree with the view that most of the best captains are forwards.
That being said, I would be equally happy if BOD got it, for all the reasons mentioned by others..most especially what happened in 2005. Both BOD and POC are going to be leaders on this team anyway, its just a matter of who they pick as figurehead.

[fourthirtythree]

BOD.

He always pays attention to POC's opinion on the field anyway.

But I guess it will probably be POC, and I'll be very happy with that. He deserves it too.

[Kyle]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/spo ... 68925.html

a little something in the Irish Times today.

[red49]

reckon it will be poc although would be happy for bod to get it again seeing as his last tour as captain was ended so unfairly..just a comment think poc is nailed on to play all tests but bod might come up with some competition from shanklin or roberts for centre,,,reckon flutey is going to get other slot,,,,they usually give captaincy to definite starter...btw i would start poc and bod in all tests but lions management may see different

[Cossax]

reckon it will be poc although would be happy for bod to get it again seeing as his last tour as captain was ended so unfairly..just a comment think poc is nailed on to play all tests but bod might come up with some competition from shanklin or roberts for centre,,,reckon flutey is going to get other slot,,,,they usually give captaincy to definite starter...btw i would start poc and bod in all tests but lions management may see different

Shanklin, maybe, but Roberts has been found out a bit, it's been shown how to defend against him and he'll be much less effective from now on, I'd think.

Either is fine with me, personally I'd prefer POC but that's just provincial bias rather than having any cast iron reasons.

[Dave Cahill]

Its always fun trying to predict what Geech will do, fun but usually futile.

[tones]

reckon it will be poc although would be happy for bod to get it again seeing as his last tour as captain was ended so unfairly..just a comment think poc is nailed on to play all tests but bod might come up with some competition from shanklin or roberts for centre,,,reckon flutey is going to get other slot,,,,they usually give captaincy to definite starter...btw i would start poc and bod in all tests but lions management may see different

I think Shanklin and however else will be battling to partner BOD. Think he's very much guaranteed his place.

[simonno6]

BOD with POC as vice captain - a winning formula!

[Grumpy Old Man]

The Heineken Cup final is on 23rd May and the first match of the tour is on 30th May. Presumably they will depart at least four days in advance.

Given the promotional duties of the Captain and a presumed wish to have him in camp as soon as possible, it may come down to which of the two (if either) is in the HC final, with the non-finalist getting the nod.

If neither get to the HC final, I think PO'C will get it as Geech has expressed a preference for forwards. I'd prefer BO'D to have it myself but that's as much provincial bias as anything.

Fantastic that the two main contenders are Irish though.

[Oldschool]

Geech is known to favour a forward as a captain and up agains the Boks i sont think this will be any different. Just look at 97 when (and at the time this was a surprise) he gave the captaincy to Martin Johnson cause he needed someone that the Boks would fear and who wasnt afraid to get stuck in.

Both BOD and POC arent afriad to get stuck in and while my heart says BOD (and please God let it be him he deseves it!) my head says POC. That being said another Irish captian of the Lions would be huge!

True, but BOD is an auxilliary wingforward.