Should Rodney Soalo remain as captain ahead of Richie McCaw?

Question

With Soalo at the helm and seemingly doing a stirling job should he remain captain ahead of Richie McCaw whos form only seemed better and consistent when he wasn't captain?

Answer 1

i havent noticed any drop off in productivity on richie mccaws end.

i think teams have wised up to his snuffling ways and are ensuring that they prevent turnover ball around him.

much like habana isnt scoring as easily as he used to because teams have factored him into thier defensive schemes.

Answer 2

Rodneys done a good job but hes no Richie McCaw. Im a little confused you question Richies form as captain the guy has played some of his biggest games as a Captain either of the Crusaders or All Blacks he almost counts as two players, there is no doubt the Boks wouldnt have beaten the ABs if he was playing.- we got dominated at the breakdowns

Answer 3

Some have said that Richie performs better without the added pressure of captaincy and so I accept your question, but would still hate to see McCaw lose the captaincy. He is NZs best player and leader, he also hasnt had many (if any) bad games recently (or ever).

Plus, its always good to have an equally diligent wing man like Soioialo, it takes some of the stresses off. ie Thorne and McCaw at the Crusaders, or Fitzpatrick, Brooke, Jones and ZBrooke of the Auckland team in the 90s.

Answer 4

No, McCaw should stay and play, you don't take the captain away when the ship is sinking. McCaw will lead the troops to glory once again. In my opinion Soalo is a great player but not yet a great leader.

Answer 5

Yes, Rodney Soalo is a great captain & has taken on the task with success.

However I hink that he should be returned to  his No 8 position as that his where is strength lies. & use Chris Masoe as No 7 until Richie McCaw returns to the team

Answer 6

personally i feel more players would be willing to follow rodney then richie, mainly because there is a large pacific island, wellington and hurricanes contingent in the all blacks. initially richie struggled to win over a few of the wellington guys because of their loyalty to tana umaga (rodney may have already gained their respect).

i do think richie is a great player and captain, but he has a different way of captaining the team than rodney does. personally, i'm inclined to back the type of captain that rodney is, which is 'follow me' and leading by example.

in saying that, rodney seems to have taken on jerry collins' role in sorting out the rif raf, so you probably don't want your captain to be in danger of being sent off.

Answer 7

Ah Im sorry but didnt we lose the last game that he played as captain. Just last week. Do you all remember that.?

McCaw is a fantastic player and you know he will be starting each week he is available, We can not say that of any of the other loose forwards

Answer 8

Neither of them are smart enough to be a truly great captain.  So as an Aussie I say they should be co captains!

Answer 9

N0oo WAY!!... Richies practically the next Buck

Answer 10

I think he is a good leader and there is no obvious alternative.  Leads by example and is playing well.

Answer 11

And what kind of question is this? haven't you got anything better to discuss?

Richie McCaw is the AB's captain, at the moment he is injured. Sooalo is a good player and good leader who can also step up to the mark if a leader is needed. There is no comparison to them. And for your question get a life.

Answer 12

I am sure it won't happen. Richie is the inspirational captain the guys will follow him over the wall under heavy fire.

Looking at Rodney last week, I think his game suffered as a consequence of being captain.

Answer 13

I've got no real beef with Rodney as captain..but there's no reason to give Richie McCaw's captaincy away when he returns

Answer 14

Richie is an exellent captain, and I doubt Rodney would want the job.

As for consistent play . . . wtf ?. . . McCaw is God, he just does not have a bad day at the office, ever.

Answer 15

You clearly missed the Irish Test, where McCaw was Captain and he was sensational. He's growing into the captaincy nicely so there should be no debate.

Answer 16

definitely not

Answer 17

R Soialo is the best man , he has mana and looks cool

Answer 18

i dunno they're both gud, richie more talks to ref tho, soialo more accepts the decision and moves on. simon k, r u drunk? soialo is like the mainstay for looseys he has the record of consistant starts since his debut?

Answer 19

I think McCaw is the better player and because of that shows he should stay the captain. There is no doubt that rod is a good player, but he schould be playing in Nr.8 and Kaino at 6. this is were he played before got selected.then nr.7 would be Thompson if he plays better or masoe as long as McCaw is injured. Lauaki had a good game so he could be able to play Nr.8, if he is in form. braid would be a good replacement for McCaw too. Rod Soli plays like a lock but just is to small for that position he has been picked for it too.

Answer 20

NO! *** off