As many expected, Alun Wyn Jones will captain the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour as they take on Japan and then World Champions South Africa this summer. Much media hype and speculation surrounded the announcement but as a three-tour veteran, which includes experience of leading the triumphant third test in 2013 against Australia the Welsh captain’s selection was not a huge surprise.
Alun Wyn Jones will lead the British & Irish Lions during his 4th tour
The announcement does tell us something about the evolving nature of not only the Lions but maybe professional captaincy as a whole. In an interview during the virtual squad launch, Head Coach Warren Gatland explained that the pair had spoken about the competition for places in the second row and how the captaincy doesn’t mean automatic test selection “he knows there are some quality players riding on his heels and his form has to be good enough to be selected for the Test side."
Gatland, of course, has form in dropping his captain. Prior to the first test of the 2017 tour, the tour captain Sam Warburton lost his place to Sean O’Brian which led to Peter O’Mahony leading the side. For many fans the idea of the captain not playing is curious. However, in the world of professional sport, creating multiple leaders who can step up if the club, squad, team or unit leader is unavailable for any reason offers a huge advantage.
The Lions is a unique sporting institution, bringing together the best of not just a number of different clubs, but a number of different nations. The captain’s role is therefore unlike any other in sport. Fans and media often hype the role and regard the captain as some form of mythical Anglo-Celtic warrior spirit. But in the calculated, professional world of elite sport, there is much more to it.
Unsurprisingly, the scientific literature doesn’t mention Anglo-Celtic warriors but instead believes leadership and effective captaincy can have a marked impact upon performance. In one of the most comprehensive studies examining captaincy, Fransen and his team (2016) surveyed over 4,000 sportspeople. They highlighted four broad leadership functions relating to captaincy; tactical, motivational, social (team spirit) and external (dealing with the media etc). Though this all feels very straightforward, the problem they found was that almost half of their surveyed cohort felt their captain didn’t fulfil any of these fundamental functions, so by implication, they wouldn’t support enhanced performance.
While Fransen et al, (2016) research provides a good platform, rugby presents a very specific captaincy test. Recognising this, Cotterill and Cheetham (2016) looked at the experiences of elite rugby captains. They highlighted 9 main themes and within those, 55 subordinate themes following extensive interviews with professional clubs and in some cases ex-international captains.
Cotterill and Cheetham’s research indicates the vast responsibility and expectation associated with captaincy in modern rugby. The diversity of these themes, from conflict resolution and motivator through to on-pitch decision-maker and player liaison officer, are a far cry from the warrior type picture often painted as the main attribute needed to lead the Lions. But the Lions isn’t normal rugby, it’s not club rugby, it isn’t even International rugby. The Lions represent a different challenge altogether.
During the squad announcement show, former Lions captain Sam Warburton suggested that it’s actually easier to captain the Lions when on the field than his international experience because the squad is composed of so many other leaders who can contribute. The challenge, according to Warburton, is “the amount of off-field duties which you cannot let distract from on-field performance”. This is where the evolution of the captain’s role can start to develop and can be helped by the sports marketing industry. As has been highlighted within the research by Cotterill and Cheetham the responsibilities of captaincy in rugby are vast.
In order to relieve the captain of some of these duties a more formal structure and role development should be established. This wouldn’t be new. As we mentioned, Gatland has previously named test captains additionally to the tour captain. Vice captains are also a regular feature of both on and off-field leadership teams across a range of sports. Specifically, among the Lions, the key responsibility of carrying Billy (the Lions mascot) falls to the tour’s youngest player, (this year's honour will go to Rees-Zammit) and specific playing units often have unofficial leaders. These unofficial roles should be given greater visibility and increasingly be defined and formalised. This would help shine a light on a broader range of players amongst media and sponsors in order to share roles among a senior leadership team, relieve the captain of excessive off-field distractions and give media a range of hooks upon which to base interviews, appearances and activations.
Alun Wyn Jones is the most experienced player in international rugby. He has the captaincy skills to lead and unite one of the most talented rugby squads ever assembled. His respect among the players, management, coaches and fans mean he will be seen as the leader even if he doesn’t start every test. The question regarding captaincy is how can any leader be given the support they need to allow them to dedicate their time to the most important aspects of the role.
Jones described the honour of being named the captain and following in the footsteps of so many legends of the game. However, research and sport science are now helping to modernise captaincy to maximise its effectiveness. While the elevation to such a prestigious position will always be an honour, by formalising wider roles amongst other senior players some of that honour can be shared. The sports marketing industry has a role to play here. In supporting a broader view of leadership within a playing squad, they can help minimise the ever-increasing off-field responsibilities that surround just one player. They can tell a positive performance story rather than focusing on the negative of a captain potentially being dropped.
As the captain’s role continues to evolve, sponsors and media will have more and more stories to tell. Sport Science Agency can provide insight and expertise via the latest scientific research and its relationships with performance programmes across rugby, including the 2021 British and Irish Lions. If brands and broadcasters get the stories right, they can be the vanguard, helping fans understand the evolution of captaincy while supporting performance maximisation and a new era of leadership across rugby.
Sport Science Agency uses its insight and expertise to tell performance stories and unlocks their value for brands, broadcasters and rights holders. To see some of our work click here If you want to know more about what we can do for you, drop us a note via info@sportscienceagency.com and we can arrange to go for a healthy vitamin packed drink.