Tipped to lead: Sam Warburton
Former Lions head coach Sir Clive Woodward has backed Wales flanker Sam Warburton to lead the side in Australia.
Woodward was in charge when the Lions toured New Zealand in 2005, losing the Test series 3-0, and made Brian O'Driscoll his captain at the time before the Ireland skipper was ruled out through injury.
Warburton was dropped as Wales captain for the remainder of the Six Nations after recovering from injury, producing some of his best form against Scotland and England as first Ryan Jones and then Gethin Jenkins took over.
The Cardiff Blues flanker captained Wales to the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2011 and to a Grand Slam title in 2012 under Lions coach Warren Gatland, making him a contender to lead the Lions down under.
"Warburton would be favourite for me," said Woodward.
"The Lions captain has to be an automatic choice -- you can't have a captain who any players question should be in the team. I think Warburton is back to his best.
"I think it's about picking players who are playing well at the moment. It's a difficult job and I think he (Gatland) is in a great position. We all wish him well.
"I think the Lions have a great chance. I think Warren has the players and will be very confident after Saturday's round of Six Nations games. But it will be a hugely challenging tour.
"I was lucky enough to live in Australia for five years. People here think the Lions is huge because it's every four years. But in Australia it's every 12 years so if anything it is even bigger. Many Australian players never get the chance to play the Lions."
Comments
rugby_rockstar says...
The only other man I'd consider is Paul O'Connel but he's just not played rugby this year. Heaslip, Robshaw and Brown haven;t really notched up enough positives.
Posted 16:12 28th March 2013
losebomb says...
well it seems everyone agrees bod, warburton and robshaw are top 3 candidates for lions captain. I firmly believe after watching the last six nations that warburton plays better if he is not captain. I just don't believe he has the leadership quality that bod and robshaw have without affecting their game. Warburton is great, but not when he is captain. therefore it's a toss up between bod and robshaw. my preference goes to robshaw due to the fact that being captain for quins and England has never affected his play. He is a true leader. sorry BOD the only reason I'd pick Robshaw over you is because I'm a believer in foreward captains. It wouldnt break my heart if either of the 3 were picked.
Posted 13:27 26th March 2013
ABlack says...
Gatland will pick either BOD if he makes the team or a Welshman as he has long term relations with Welsh players. So either Warburton, or maybe Jenkins or Alun WynJones,
Maybe he will pick BOD for the tour and make him mid-week captain against the S15 teams.
There wont be a Scot or Pom as captian that is for sure
Posted 20:19 24th March 2013
crunchfit says...
@ ArmchairGeneral
A good captain should be able to play at least as well as they do when they aren't captain. Warburton demonstrated that for some reason, he is currently unable to do that. There are some other options for captain that would allow Warburton to play to his full ability.
Robshaw's good but I'd wonder how well he'd do without the painfully rigid English coach - player relationship in place. It would be a gamble. That said, there's not that many options for the captaincy and he is obviously up there. And he should be.
The obvious choices for captain do seem to be from Wales and England though. And BOD is a bit of a wild card too for the captaincy.
Posted 17:45 23rd March 2013
rewahard_08 says...
I would have to pick Warburton as my captain for the tests. He is back to his best. While Robshaw is an outstanding player, he will tour, but will not make the test team. He will probably captain the other games.
Posted 00:09 23rd March 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
@crunchfit: thought Warburton was Wales's Robshaw only better, and more of a 7 and more of a 6. Wales had decipline issues pre WC but he kept them off the booze in NZ and showed Moody up as captain. Hard to argue he's not a great captain. Robshaw is too but he's quite the same league I think... I'm English too.
Posted 22:43 22nd March 2013
Gleek says...
As mentioned by other posters it is tough as none of the leading candidates are definite starters. Eddie Jones said something interesting about the Eng Wal game in the Sydney Morning Herald last week. He reckons Wales got a lot of the scrum calls as Jenkins was captain and constantly in conversation with the ref and influencing him. He reckoned it was a master stroke my Howley. Perhaps the Lions would follow suit and pick a front rower, Best or Jenkins perhaps (though Hibbard and Healy might have something to say about that).
Also makes the Wallaby captaincy an interesting question. Perhaps they will follow Jones' theory and make Moore the captain in an attempt to negate the Lions power in the scrum.
Posted 20:57 22nd March 2013
Headhunter99 says...
Has to be Warburton followed by Robshaw... Warburton gets my vote for having the experience of the big occasion the RWC and leading Wales to the GS last season.
@leinster_goy I was at Cardiff last week and watched Warburton outplay and out muscle Robshaw, which does not happen that often.
You've got to stop being so myopic BoD wont last the tour and neither Sexton or SoB have the international captaincy experience. As for Warburton having his (illegal) hands on the ball WGAF if it helps beat the Aussies ? bet your little green socks they'll be knee deep in illegal practices.
Posted 17:50 22nd March 2013
crunchfit says...
@ ArmchairGeneral
You have to change your argument according to the facts. Warburton is a great player, but is not natural captain. He may well be a good captain in the future, but as he demonstrated, not yet.
Posted 15:23 22nd March 2013
jontheref says...
Leinstergoy,
Warburton and Jones played alongside each other v Scotland.
Jones was injured during that game.
Unfortunately, the Lions have repeatedly picked a captain, who is then not worth his place.
This goes back as far as Mike Campbell-Lamberton.
I agree with armchair, as a tour captain, and then game by game captain would be a better use of resources.
If the tour captain ends up in the midweek team, then that could be to the good of the tour as a whole.
Posted 14:47 22nd March 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Leinstergoy: you have to change your arguments with time or pick ones that are correct. You obviously did not see Warburton in the Scotland game... Or the England game. Note Lydiate was not there. He's a natural captain. That said I like the idea of a senior fringe player as tour captain (Wilko or BOD) and a game captain pre selected at the start of the tour. Warburton I think can handle it better then AWJ and few other players are definites if fit.
Posted 12:38 22nd March 2013
daibok says...
The captain should be a nailed on starter, and this is the Lion's problem. Until Gatland decides how he wants the team to play, I would say that 1/2p apart, there are no nailed on starters. Robshaw is a decent captain, as are O'Driscol, Wyn Jones. O'Connel (if fit) etc. But none of them are necessarily first choice, and neither is Warburton, whether considered for captain or not.
This is Gatland's main problem ahead of the touring party make-up
Posted 11:59 22nd March 2013
lawynd says...
A probable Lions backrow currently doesn't contain Warburton, it's as simple as that. Tipuric must be nailed on at openside (if he isn't then Gatland wants shooting) and blindside is probably a straight shootout between Robshaw and O'Brien. As already mentioned in previous comments by numerous other posters, you don't counter an openside with another one! Methinks Sir Clive is jumping on the bandwagon here.
Posted 11:42 22nd March 2013
Irishzimbabwean says...
I struggle to understand how Woodward works this out. Two games ago Warburton couldn't make the Welsh backrow, and was only recalled after Ryan Jones was ruled out by injury. He then played very well but not as captain. He is not ahead of Tipuric on the openside (as Wales have shown) and the blindside will only be one chosen from O,Brien, Wood, Brown, Robshaw and Warburton. There is no way that Warburton is definite of that position in the Lions team - so how does Woodward deduce he is the Lions captain?
Posted 11:02 22nd March 2013
jose_jones says...
From a Welshman,... NO!
He is more effective when he concentrates on his game and lets someone else take charge,.. and to be honest,.. I like him as an impact player when the pace of the game slows down a little. That's when you can really see his Duracel Bunny impression at the breakdown.
Posted 09:57 22nd March 2013
leinster_goy says...
over-rated. relies on guys like lydiate to chop the player down so all he has to do is bend over and get his hands (usually illegally) on the ball. interesting that his poor year has coincided with lydiate's injury
gatland needs to make the captain decision on basis of long-term form, as opposed to a one-off fluke performance at the millenium stadium. for me, the only candidates are robshaw, Drico, Sexto or Sean O'Brien. robshaw would be the safest option, i suppose...although he would have to be shifted to 6 or 8, since he's not a natural 7 and even if he was, tipuric is still better
Posted 09:56 22nd March 2013