Ireland's Next Captain

[paddyor]

40/0 tackles in 3 games!

[TrapperChamonix]

Captaining for the club helps before going for the country job, not essential though.

Leinster need a new captain.

Sexton, Ruddock, Luke McGrath, Jack McGrath, James Ryan, Rob Kearney, O'Brien, Fardy, Toner, in no particular order, are contenders imo.

I think you want a captain who spends more time in the Leinster camp than the Ireland one. Ruddock or Fardy (can we get a 3rd out of him) would look to be best options.

[Oldschool]

A good captain has a major input in the dressing room and between matches whether they are wins or losses, no matter what the coaches say players will always look to their captain for leadership. If he keeps progressing as he started Ryan could be an exceptional captain leading the team by example, just take a season or so to build up to it.

James Ryan is chomping at the bit to be captain and probably doesn't fully realise it.
You often see him during a match clapping his hands, trying to get players to refocus.
He's a natural leader, situationally aware and reacts spontaneously.

[leinsterforever]

Captaining for the club helps before going for the country job, not essential though.

Leinster need a new captain.

Sexton, Ruddock, Luke McGrath, Jack McGrath, James Ryan, Rob Kearney, O'Brien, Fardy, Toner, in no particular order, are contenders imo.

Did Ross Byrne captain the Ireland U20s, or a I just imagining that? If so he could be an interesting other option

[desperado]

Captaining for the club helps before going for the country job, not essential though.

Leinster need a new captain.

Sexton, Ruddock, Luke McGrath, Jack McGrath, James Ryan, Rob Kearney, O'Brien, Fardy, Toner, in no particular order, are contenders imo.

Did Ross Byrne captain the Ireland U20s, or a I just imagining that? If so he could be an interesting other option

Don't think so; think Nick McCarthy was Captain in Ross's second year.

[desperado]

Next Captain post RWC 2019 - James Ryan.

[backrower8]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

[Ruckedtobits]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Well if Cummiskey says it, it must be true.

[backrower8]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Well if Cummiskey says it, it must be true.

Thanks for your contribution.

[janeymac08]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Cummiskey bottled that comment in the Irish Times. The reason he game for not making POM next captain is because POM is injury prone

POM really shouldn't be putting his body on the line when playing if he wants the captaincy. Similarly with Sexton.

Cummiskey is clueless. Last year, he didn't know that Munster operated out of two training centres up to recently.

[Flash Gordon]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Absolutely no reason to suggest Rory isn't going to captain us next year. I thought he was superb this season and by some way our best hooker. Think he's a great leader. I think POM has made questionable calls during his tenure at Munster and he isn't guaranteed his place all being fit. Sexton's narkiness is just not helpful in terms of managing the ref, media work or even motivating his team at times. Post RWC we'll see who's around, it's fun to speculate but no need to even think about that call till then really. If Ryan is in the frame I think it would be helpful if he skippered Leinster first.

[Ruckedtobits]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Absolutely no reason to suggest Rory isn't going to captain us next year. I thought he was superb this season and by some way our best hooker. Think he's a great leader. I think POM has made questionable calls during his tenure at Munster and he isn't guaranteed his place all being fit. Sexton's narkiness is just not helpful in terms of managing the ref, media work or even motivating his team at times. Post RWC we'll see who's around, it's fun to speculate but no need to even think about that call till then really. If Ryan is in the frame I think it would be helpful if he skippered Leinster first.

+1

[backrower8]

A reminder that this thread (on the International Rugby section) is about Ireland's Captaincy, not Leinster's.

Gavin Cummiskey on the Irish Times podcast today calls Sexton as the RWC Captain. Says POM not guaranteed his place and Best is not going to hold on due to age (he sees Scannell starting and Cronin benching).

He also posits that they could go "left field" and give it to James Ryan.

I am still for a Ryan captaincy this Autumn. He can handle it and keep Jonny out of the full glare of covering all the key roles.

Absolutely no reason to suggest Rory isn't going to captain us next year. I thought he was superb this season and by some way our best hooker. Think he's a great leader. I think POM has made questionable calls during his tenure at Munster and he isn't guaranteed his place all being fit. Sexton's narkiness is just not helpful in terms of managing the ref, media work or even motivating his team at times. Post RWC we'll see who's around, it's fun to speculate but no need to even think about that call till then really. If Ryan is in the frame I think it would be helpful if he skippered Leinster first.

+1

Best is the best Captain but questionable if he is or will be the best hooker in 16 months time aged 37.

We need to use the next year to allow a new Captain settle in and be part of driving the squad onto the next level. Stand still and we go backwards.

[ronk]

There’s no reason to demote Best, certainly not going into a RWC. We have senior players who can step up if he gets injured or his form falls off a cliff.