Johannesburg - If Allister Coetzee is going to appoint a captain who is going to be in the hot seat until the 2019 World Cup in Japan then he must take his time deciding on the right man.
However, if he wants a captain to lead the team from one Test to the next and isn’t too bothered about a specific man being in charge in 2019, then the sooner he names a replacement for the retiring Adriaan Strauss the better.
Strauss’ announcement last week that he’d be quitting Test rugby at the end of the year came as a major surprise. Whether Coetzee knew about it or not is irrelevant ... the fact is the Boks need a new team leader. But simply picking a specific man is not as simple as it seems.
The first problem facing Coetzee is that no-one has really jumped out and said pick me’. In fact, that was the scenario even before Strauss was picked.
The hooker was considered among the favourites because he’d played Test rugby for a good few years, he’d led the Cheetahs and Bulls and was considered a safe bet for the new coach coming in.
But was he the obvious choice - ahead of Pat Lambie, Francois Louw, Warren Whiteley, Daune Vermeulen?
Now the same question needs to be asked. Who is the obvious successor? Whiteley appears to be the favourite, and understandably so considering he’s played such a big role in helping turn the Lions around, he’s liked by his teammates and opponents, speaks well and is considered a big motivator and a player who leads by example.
But his provincial coach is spot on when he says the Bok captain has to be the first choice man in his position. Is Whiteley the first choice No 8? Or is it Vermeulen?
Could both men be accommodated in a Bok starting team, one at blindside flank and one at eighthman ... or is there place for only one?
Vermeulen will have his supporters to lead the side, too, but counting against him is the fact he plays his rugby for Toulon, in France.
Then there’s Lambie, who many feel is the right man to do the job, but, sadly, there are now doubts about his future after he suffered concussion in the first Test against Ireland in June. And Louw? Those who’ve played under him will tell you he’s a good captain, but he is not in the best form right now and may not be the best in his position in the next two years.
That brings me to the initial question, must whoever is named captain be appointed until the next World Cup?
We all know how that went down when Pieter de Villiers continued with John Smit at hooker, and captain, between 2008 and 2011 when he was never the best in his position - Bismarck du Plessis should have been the first choice hooker - and then Heyneke Meyer also insisted that Jean de Villiers captain the side even when it was clear he wasn’t the best anymore.
And, let’s not shy away from the fact the very reason right now why Coetzee is looking for a new captain is because Strauss’ form and position as starting hooker is under scrutiny.
One of the biggest problems in the Bok team is the lack of vocal leaders.
The Star