Peter Bills: The Best Man For The Lions Captaincy?

There are three obvious candidates for the Lions captaincy, writes Peter Bills, and one of them may have gained the inside running after last weekend.

Ireland’s ‘wear your heart on your sleeves and dig deep’ victory over Australia in Dublin last weekend did many things.

It exposed the brittle element at the heart of the current Wallabies, and ensured Ireland captain Rory Best would celebrate his 100th cap in rousing style. But it did something else too.

Beating Australia means Ireland have recorded victories over South Africa, New Zealand and Australia all within the space of the last six months. Best has led Ireland’s fighting men to all three victories and inevitably, his name must now be on a very small short list of candidates to lead the 2017 British and Irish Lions to New Zealand.

For me, the Lions captain will probably come from these three candidates: Wales’s Sam Warburton, England hooker Dylan Hartley and the Ulsterman, Best. It’s hard to see anyone else in the frame at this point.

What could decide the issue, of course, is what happens in the Six Nations Championship which begins on February 4 next year. Right now, you’d have to say that Ireland and England will start that tournament as joint favourites. Whoever comes through could supply the Lions captain.

Beating New Zealand earns any side priceless currency. Ireland’s confidence levels arising from that memorable win over the All Blacks in Chicago clearly helped drag them over the line against the Australians in Dublin last weekend.

Lions selection committees down through the ages have liked nothing more than an Irish forward to lead the Lions. Ever since prop Tommy Smyth led them to South Africa way back in 1910, Lions selectors have been eager to appoint Irish forwards as leaders.

Prop Sam Walker was captain for the 1938 tour to South Africa, hooker Karl Mullen led them to New Zealand in 1950. In 1955, lock Robin Thompson was in charge in South Africa followed four years later by another Irish hooker, Ronnie Dawson.

In 1974, the legendary second row Willie John McBride took charge for the record breaking tour of South Africa and in 1983, another Irish hooker, Ciaran Fitzgerald, was chosen as leader of the tour to New Zealand. Finally, in 2009, lock forward Paul O’Connell became the latest Irish forward to earn the Lions captaincy.

By no means all were inspired choices. Frankly, some were hopeless and should never even have been on the tour as a player, never mind captain.

But whatever the circumstances, Lions selectors love Irish forwards as their leaders. And Best is making an increasingly compelling case to win the top job.

Both Warburton and Hartley have been bedevilled by injuries in the first few months of this season. And in Hartley’s case, he is being increasingly pressed for the England place by the excellent Saracens hooker Jamie George, a player who could well make the Lions tour himself.

The durable Best is a quiet sort of man who leads by example. He would never ask anyone to do something he wouldn’t cheerfully volunteer for himself. But crucially, he has improved out of all recognition as a player in the last 18 months.

The sight of him hauling down Australian centre Reece Hodge as he set his sights for the line in the second half last weekend was an inspirational moment. His line-out throwing is now consistently good and his work in the loose, formidable.

Best would be a superb captain, doubtless respected both by his own players and the tough New Zealand opponents. Being an Ulsterman, he has learned two crucial qualities – never take a backward step but understand the value of diplomacy.

In some respects, it might appear absurd automatically to make the leader of the Six Nations champions Lions captain. If there is a better candidate elsewhere, then choose him. But history tells us that is so often the outcome. Which may mean that Ireland v England, the final game of the 2017 Six Nations Championship, could have an almighty amount riding on it.

It could decide the Six Nations Grand Slam or Championship title, the Triple Crown and the Lions captaincy.

Potentially then, not too much resting on the outcome of a single game. Hard hats are already flying off the shelves in Dublin stores at the prospect of that match in the city.