In November, Garry Ringrose and James Ryan were named Leinster’s co-captains for the season. Not so long ago, hooker Dan Sheehan wore the captain’s strap and earlier this week in Leinster’s defeat to Ulster in Dublin, Caelan Doris, selected by his peers as the Players’ Player of the Year in 2023, led the side.
In Munster, 25-year-old Diarmuid Barron was picked by coach Graham Rowntree to be one of his revolving door captains until he comes to a final decision for this season, while World Cup colossus Tadhg Beirne wore it in the recent Champions Cup game against Bayonne in Thomond Park. Beirne is one of the bigger names and a natural choice to follow Peter O’Mahony, who had been the Munster captain since 2013.
But as Rowntree said at the beginning of December: “I’ll be the first head coach in 10 years at the club who has had to name a captain so I’m not rushing that.”
And he hasn’t. Craig Casey’s drive, commitment and devotion to Munster meant that his name was also thrown into the Munster captain’s pool as the scrumhalf has had the experience of captaining Ireland A against an All Black XV in the RDS in 2022.
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What it comes back to is how provincial decisions might influence how Andy Farrell is thinking in terms of his captain, vice-captain and leadership group when the Irish team walks out to meet France in Marseille at the beginning of February for their first match of the Six Nations Championship.
Ringrose, Ryan, O’Mahony, Beirne and Doris all tick boxes for the primary requirement for a captain, so there is no doubt about selection. Johnny Sexton fulfilled that as did Jamie Heaslip before him.
Of the currently playing crop of players, Leinster prop Tadhg Furlong and Ulster’s Iain Henderson have also captained Ireland in recent years, Henderson earning his stripe against France in the Six Nations in 2021 and Furlong against Fiji in November 2022.
All the other recent players who have captained Ireland, flanker Sean O’Brien, scrumhalf Eoin Reddan and number eight Heaslip have retired with Rhys Ruddock the only currently active player to have done so. Ruddock captained Ireland against the USA in an Autumn International in 2018.
Since 2011, when Leinster’s current coach, Leo Cullen first led the team under Declan Kidney against Scotland, a total of 10 players have captained Ireland at least once, Sexton’s extended run beginning in 2019 against Russia before ending at last year’s World Cup in Paris.
“I enjoyed it,” said Doris of this week’s Leinster captaincy. “Definitely a bit more pressure, a bit more responsibility. I’ve more admiration for what the lads have done, certainly more to think about. It’s been a while for me, but I’ve enjoyed it.”
Doris played two years on the Ireland Under-20s team, the second term as captain including the 2018 Under-20 Rugby World Cup, so the role is not expressly a new one.
“Yeah, like I said there is a little more pressure with it,” he said. “You take defeats like that [Ulster] a bit harder as well. Look inward a bit more. It’s definitely an honour.
“But it’s easy with this group too. There are leaders throughout the team. You’ve got Dan Sheehan who captained a few weeks ago, you’ve got Cian Healy, Robbie [Henshaw], so much experience.”
The same words about leadership could be spoken about Ireland. But Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde was not afraid to narrow it down to include his number eight as recently as last week when he said Doris should not be far away from Farrell’s thinking.
“He [Doris] did it the other week, actually,” said McBryde. “He was part of a leadership team of game leaders going into a match and he was following in the footsteps of Tadhg Furlong. So, when Caelan took over the mantle the following week, with the clarity that he spoke with and the understanding that he has on both sides of the ball, it’s well within the realms that he could become the next [Ireland] captain.
“Look, there’s a number of candidates but it would be very foolish not to put his name among some of the others as well.”
Performance Director David Nucifora recently explained that Farrell’s choice of captain need not be for an entire World Cup cycle, which would seamlessly bring 34-year-old O’Mahony in to play. That view was echoed by Brian O’Driscoll last month.
“There are players who will be playing two years from now who won’t be playing at the next World Cup,” said the former Irish captain. “But that doesn’t mean you throw them out. Look at someone like Peter O’Mahony. Given the position he plays, it’s a big ask to go to 2027. But you could probably see him going another two years.”
Part of Farrell’s decision will be based his captain’s ability to communicate with the referee. Sexton was in constant dialogue with officials in what was the public arena of a stadium and live television, but it did not negatively affect his own play, while last month referee Matt Carley refused to engage with James Ryan during Leinster’s win over La Rochelle in the Champions Cup when he and Ringrose had been nominated co-captains.
“Everyone leads in their own way so it’s not the hardest job in the world,” said Doris this week. A relaxed take, and maybe putting his hand up too.
