SIMON LEWIS: What it takes to be a great leader of men

FOR anyone unsure about the importance of captaincy in rugby, the build-up to this year’s RBS 6 Nations will have disabused them of the notion that the role is an irrelevance in the modern game.

This year’s championship will see three new captains from last season’s Six Nations, with Jamie Heaslip replacing Ireland skipper Brian O’Driscoll, Kelly Brown the latest choice to lead Scotland and Pascal Papé chosen to helm the French team as Thierry Dusautoir continues his return to full fitness from long-term injury.

The fact all three appointments received plenty of attention in the media suggests that captaincy is still a big deal to those who watch and support 21st century Test rugby, as does the ongoing speculation about who will lead the British & Irish Lions this summer when they tour Australia. England’s current incumbent, Chris Robshaw, meanwhile, discovered that the hard way when his decision-making in the November Tests against South Africa and Australia was singled out as the cause of both defeats.