Position vacant: Captain for international rugby team

There has been a little bit of chatter over the past week about the identity of the next Irish rugby captain, who will get the nod and the real honour that it carries. For the first time in well over a decade, the captaincy does not have an automatic and obvious candidate. Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll were definitely that but these are changed times. And Joe Schmidt must change with them when he makes this decision.

Contracted for only two more years as of now, the announcement of the captain for the upcoming Six Nations may tell us a little bit about Joe Schmidt’s future plans. If he is hoping to stay with Ireland until the next World Cup, then he may send a message with this appointment, as the decision is ultimately his. If, however, he goes for the short term, with either Rory Best or Jamie Heaslip, then perhaps he has an eye on the Lions job.

Picking the captain is a serious decision and rugby is one of the last remaining sports where the captain has an important role in decision-making – on and off the field. He must be a consistent player, ideally injury-free, and one who leads by example. Quietly effective captains are well and good but in rugby at international level, it needs to be a player who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck.

The two standout choices right now should be long-term and I’d have Peter O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien at the head of the list, but there are question marks over both. For starters, O’Mahony mightn’t even play before the summer so he is out of the Six Nations equation. O’Brien is also enduring a torrid two years with his body. That might mitigate against him, although, like the Munster man, he fits all the other criteria in terms of leadership by example.

Johnny Sexton has been mentioned in some quarters but his form at the moment is highly questionable and in truth he hasn’t been the same player for some time now. His issues with concussion have been unfortunate in their timing as well as for the man himself. Right now he needs a good six months of injury-free rugby, not the captaincy.

This leaves Joe Schmidt with limited choices. While Robbie Henshaw is being spoken about as a future captain, that day is a while away yet; at 22 he must be patient. It is between Jamie Heaslip and Rory Best, the Leinster man having already had a decent audition in the role under Schmidt in O’Connell’s absence.

That should have the relatively consistent Heaslip in the driving seat to resume with the armband (he ended the World Cup with it on), but there is a nagging doubt about him, one that has Best very much in the frame. Heaslip is 31 and Best is 33, both are stalwarts and fairly sure of their places on the starting 15 and crucially both tend to be available all of the time, something that must be a huge consideration in this decision.

With the next World Cup almost four years away there is no pressing need to appoint a captain now to lead us to Japan and any talk of that is idle. This will be an appointment for perhaps a year, two at most. With that in mind, I’m a betting man and my money is on Heaslip. The message that would send would be one of calm, business as usual. Schmidt will probably be looking to change how Ireland play the game this spring, but that won’t happen overnight. Change for change’s sake is not his way. Heaslip will be the safe and steady choice with Best as vice captain.

This week’s action

Rory Best has been in fine form in recent weeks as his province have picked themselves off the European floor to get back into their pool. That resurgence should continue this weekend when they travel to Oyonnax to play the game postponed as a result of the Paris attacks. A win here would see Ulster with three out of four in the pool and probably the best of the second-placed teams, on 14 points if they can manage a bonus point. The French side are out of the equation and their focus is on the Top 14, so Ulster can make hay.

The only Irish team with any hope of a Champions Cup quarter-final place, unfortunately Ulster must travel to Saracens for their last match of the group stages, probably needing something and that will be a tall order against the most impressive side in the competition. For now they can stay alive with a win on Sunday afternoon in a virgin venue for all of their team and supporters, a stadium named Stade Charles Mathon after one of their best players, before the second world war. Let’s hope it’s a happy hunting ground.

Munster, conquerors of Ulster in Ravenhill last weekend, will also be in France; they play Stade Français in Paris and this could make difficult viewing for Munster fans. For teams already out of the tournament, away matches become a bit of a hindrance. Munster were never a team that thought like that, but this is a game that offers the visitors little. An entirely predictable defeat lies ahead. We can only hope the performance continues on last weekend’s upward curve.

Leinster and Connacht have trips to Wales this weekend in the Pro12, Connacht taking on leaders Scarlets, while Leinster have the weaker Ospreys. Bottom of their European pool, Leinster can go top of the Pro12 – albeit for a day – if they win on Saturday. They might be struggling against Europe’s biggest guns but they are still a shoo-in for a top four Pro12 finish.

Connacht, on the other hand, have lost three on the bounce in this competition and are flat-lining a little bit in recent weeks. Injuries and an amount of bad luck have come against them, but this is what happens when you are taking on the big boys. It will turn. They’ll have to shake themselves back into life soon mind you, although the Scarlets might be too soon.

It is quite possible that Munster and Connacht could end up fighting it out for the last Irish place in next season’s Champions Cup.

If that is appetisingly the case, then book your seats now for the Sportgrounds in Galway on the weekend of 15/16 April because that is when they are due to meet again. And that could, ironically, be the biggest Irish club game played this year.

How the mighty have fallen or the mighty have lifted – insert your own cliché depending on where your loyalties lie.