Future England Captain.

[Prestwick]

Well, maybe Martin Corry will eventually have to retire or retire from the position of Captain. I'm not neccessarily saying that he is going to be removed as captain in the immediate future, but he might be replaced, say, post Six Nations 2007. Maybe.

So I was thinking, who would actually make a good replacement captain. Andy Farrell immediately springs to mind, he has an incredibly inspiring precense on the field and was the youngest captain of Great Britain (at 21 was it?) more than enough experience to take on the challenge.

However he won't be around for another year yet and will probabbly miss the world cup or come along as a replacement. So I was thinking of more realistic alternatives.

Richard Hill is another contender and frankly, more realistic man for the job than say Farrell. Fulfils the basic function of a captain; that is to provide inspiration by doing his job and doing it well, so well that it provides an example to the rest of the team.

Any other hats people think should be thrown into the ring?

 

[An Tarbh]

I never rated him previously but Ben Kay has been showing signs of leadership qualities, think that's as much of an indictment on the state of English rugby, in 2003 his name wouldn't have even been metioned depiste being in the team.

However if Hill recovers from injury he's another choice as is Vickery.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Mabye someone not coming from Saracens

The only real candidate at the moment seems to be Vickery. Borthwick could make a decent captain, but may be unable to cement his place in the starting line-up.

 

[riders of the storm]

If Pat Sanderson can stay in form, he should be captain as he has experience at it. Richard Hill would be an excellent choice, but he is getting old and suffering from injuries.

 

[Bullitt]

No once considered a back? I personally think Josh Lewsey could do the job.

Certainly wouldn't want Vickery doing the job Webby, that would mean he actually plays the games!

 

[getofmeland]

I personally think the captaincy could mature Grewcock a bit, as we need someone to stamp their authority on the squad, and when someone has well and truelly f***ed up in a game, the captain needs to let hell out and scare the **** of the squad... also Grewcock being a key man in the lineout is able to command that, so I think he should be given a chance...

I know that some of you dont like Grewcock, but he is one of the best locks in the country and I feel he would be the right man to lead England on the pitch, he cant do any worse than Corry

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

we need someone to stamp their authority[/b]

Right there is why Grewcock should never, ever, be captain. The guy is an animal, prone to doing stupid things. He has nowhere near the right temprament for captain.

You may argue that Johnson had his flaws in this way, but he was just a hard player, not a thug.

 

[getofmeland]

His disciplinary record has improved in recent years, last season he only recieved 2 yellow cards in the premiership and one in the Heineken Cup...

I cant find any other stats for other players but I am certain there are worse out there..

I admit he has made mistakes but maybe the

think the captaincy could mature Grewcock[/b]

outlined my thoughts, it has helped him with Bath when he has been captain!!!

 

[Bullitt]

Not a good choice of captain though when you're not one of the best 2 (or in Grewcocks case, 10) locks in the country, therefore not a first choice selection.

 

[getofmeland]

I am sorry but most people rate Grewcock as one of the top 3 ENGLISH locks in the Country...

So I would like to know who you rate Higher... I admit his performances havent been the best for England, but when you look at the England setup, there wasnt one decent performance from anyone member, so you cant judge him on that, and as none of you guys have watched many Bath games this season you cant judge him on those performances, so its really your own personal biased Northampton opinions... This season Grewcock has been playing some really good rugby for Bath, against Newcastle the other week he absoluely dominated the game...

On another note the Captain of a squad should not be a Back, because they are not strong enough to make their voices heard... In modern day rugby as the NZ team has learnt its key to have a strong Forward line, and they are the key ball winners, although you a strong back line is essential as well, but the forwards control the game, so thats where the commands should be coming from not from the backs...

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

so its really your own personal biased Northampton opinions... [/b]

How has me pointing out that he regulatly loses his discipline and commits violent acts on the pitch any indication of a Northampton bias? It's there for everyone to see.

If you look at the stats, his poor disciplinery record speaks for itself. You may claim he has improved, but there is no way you can rely on him to stay on the pitch for 80 minutes - a pretty vital thing to ask an international level captain to do.

 

[getofmeland]

Well find me the stats to prove it!!! and compare against other English possiblilities... and the foriegn counterparts...

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

So far this season he has 2 yellow cards in 9 appearences. That means in over a fifth of the matches he plays in, he gives the opposition a man advantage.

 

[getofmeland]

Ok Compare to other peoples, there are no stats on the web for the disciplinary of rugby players unless you look for individual players... which is bloody useless... I was looking to see what McCaws Record is...

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

McCaw is the best flanker in the world leading the best team on the planet. He can't even be compared to Grewcock. McCaw is a cheat (a very efficient one), Grewcock is a thug. Big difference.

 

[getofmeland]

Whats the difference and why is Grewcock a thug in your book... There are plenty of worse players of the game than Grewcock your just a too small minded Northampton fan to see it... seems funny noone but Northampton fans have come out and said that Grewcock is a thug... in his Club Career he has recieved 11 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card... Over 6 Seasons with Bath...

 

[Canadian_Rugby_Guy]

well, whoever it's going to be, there needs to be a change, and it's not obvious who it should be. The form of each England player is on and off, no one is putting their foot down to elad the team, not even the fly halves. Josh Lewsey might be one of the few consistent selections, but he hasn't been good consistently enough. His play has been referred to as Jekyll and Hyde by planet rugby after the tests against South Africa, and you don't want that kind of player leading your team. I thought Jamie Noon looked good against New Zealand, but other then that I haven't found he's a particularly stunning enough player. For now they should probably stay with Corry until an alternative is found.

 

[SecondRow04]

personally i think the best person for the job would be phil vickery. hes an aggressive and hard hitting prop and has alot of experience. he can certanly lead and peform well. another good choice would be lewsey as he is a great player and has the qualities to command!

Aaron

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

There are plenty of worse players of the game than Grewcock your just a too small minded Northampton fan to see it...[/b]

Of course there are even dirtier players, I never claimed there weren't.

Gareth Archer, Brendan Venter and, shock horror, our very own ex-captain Corne Krige (at times) spring to mind.

That doesn't detract from the fact that Grewcock is violent and would not be a good captain.

 

[getofmeland]

I am sorry but there are certain biasted opinions towards certain players, because they have one or two incidents and on this forum there seems to be a hatred towards anything Bath Rugby, especially by those who support certain clubs... and I call that small mindedness...