In the light of the recent scandal surrounding the Chelsea and England football captain, John Terry, I ask just what does a modern team captain of any sport do these days, I have no intention of “blowing the lid” on any LSH captains. No, I’ll keep to myself who has three sausages instead of two on their barm butty after training on a Tuesday night!

But just what does the captain do these days on the pitch in an era which sees sports coaches intruding more and more in a game and sending instructions to the players via “walkie talkie” messages to water bottle carriers, physios, and occasionally even touch judges? Surely a football captain’s only task today is to lead a young mascot out of the players’ tunnel and toss a coin on the half way line? But what of other sports?

No denying the impact of a captain in cricket, possibly the one sport where the quality of a captain who can make instant decisions and direct play is paramount for success. And in rugby? Again, even though a captain’s job at any local union club appears to consist of carrying bags of jerseys and water bottles around and collecting subs and raffle tickets, the skipper of any XV is vital to the style of play and the effectiveness of it. Similarly in rugby league even though my tasks at both St.Helens and Widnes seemed to consist of collecting the weekly subs for the annual players’ outing to Blackpool, settling arguments over who owned which jock strap, and ensuring that everyone had only two beef butties after training.

Both codes of rugby have so much more variety of action and channels of movement in their play than soccer that a captain must always be considering the options for his team. Do the forwards keep the ball and move upfield via a rolling maul, do they opt for a scrum after a penalty and drive over the line for a try, do they change the lineout drills, do they wheel a scrum and play off the backrow? What style of play is wanted from the half backs? What type of kicking game is needed? When and where does the threequarter line try a particular move? And a rugby captain must often ask himself one of the most important decisions of all when his side has been awarded a penalty – do we take a shot for goal, kick to touch, opt for a scrum, or run the ball from a quick tap? Instant decisions for any league or union skipper which can often determine the outcome of any match. So LSH captains, have no fears, your value to the club is noted and acknowledged.  

Ray French