The Bath Rugby Column: Who should captain the Blue, Black and White?

Stuart Hooper made 192 appearances for the Blue, Black and White having joined the club back in 2008. He captained the side for five seasons, making him Bath’s second longest serving captain. Described by Mike Ford as the best captain that he had ever worked with, Hooper was a fantastic servant on and off the pitch.

 

Although having originally played for Saracens and then Leeds Carnegie, Hooper grew up supporting Bath and his passion for the club was clear to see whenever he played. To many, Hoops wasn't just a leader, he was the heartbeat of the side. I was lucky enough to interview Stuart Hooper last year, he told me at the time, “Being Captain of Bath is not my job, its very much part of my life.”

 

Not only a fantastic line out operator, Hooper was an inspirational leader and a fantastic asset to the club. Hooper showed how pivotal he was to Bath’s line out this season, when he produced an exceptional performance against Toulon in the European Rugby Champions Cup. Replacing him will be an incredibly hard task but as talk turns to next season the current question on every fans lips is, who will be the new captain of Bath Rugby?

 

The Bath Chronicle recently ran a poll asking their readers who they would like to see lead the team next season, with the results recently announced. The three main candidates fans would like to see in the role were Francois Louw, Dave Attwood and Matt Banahan. With 26% of the vote Matt Banahan came in third, whilst Dave Attwood came in second place with 27% and Francois Louw finished top with 29%.

 

Louw has captained the side this season whilst Hooper has been injured and is a fantastic leader. Having joined Bath in 2011 the flanker is regarded as one of the best in the world, representing South Africa in two Rugby World Cups. This obviously means that he has big game experience however for South Africa he hasn't had to make game altering decisions as of yet. Louw leads by example and is always in thick of play due to his position, both qualities that make a brilliant leader.

 

Many Bath fans have seen Louw as Hooper’s successor for a while, he is clearly not only a fans' favourite but is also well regarded throughout the squad. The only issue with selecting Louw as captain is that because of his international career he would be away from the squad occasionally. This would be for competitions such as the Autumn Internationals and the Rugby Championship.

 

For me, personally, a captain should be a permanent fixture in the team and should be with the squad throughout the season. Although Francois is a guaranteed starting player, when available for selection, at Bath his absence during internationals periods means that the club would not only be missing a world class player but also their captain.

 

An easy way to solve this problem is to have two captains, a club captain as well as a 1st XV skipper. This would mean the Louw could be named as the 1st XV skipper, when available for selection, while another player could be named as club captain. This could be someone who will be based with the club all season round. A similar way of viewing this is dividing the role between a captain and a vice captain.

 

On Twitter, Bath Rugby season ticket holder, Simon Tred (@simontred) said: “Banners for Club Captain with Louw and Attwood as Match Day options.”

 

Similarly, John Bailey (RAFP_JB) said: “Matt Banahan or Francois Louw either as Captain and vice Captain, for me Banners is Bath.”

 

Personally I think Matt Banahan would make a brilliant captain. He is not only Bath Rugby’s longest serving player but is also their record Premiership try scorer. To many fans he epitomises the club and this season he has played phenomenally.

 

Having signed for Bath in 200, Banners has played under a few captains and has developed well as a player. Unfortunately he is not currently on Eddie Jones’ radar and hasn't represented England since coming on for Jonny Wilkinson in a 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter final defeat to France in Aukland. This would mean that he would be a perfect Club Captain because, due to the current England's current squad selection, he will most probably be with the club the majority of the season.

 

This season fans have seen Banners taking on a leadership role when on the field of play, barking orders and organising the backs. Although he may not be in the scrum, which is seen as the typical position for a captain, he has proved that he can still be influential out on the wing or in the centres. Due to his wealth of experience at the club, Banahan is also a constant in the side and has experienced many big games for Bath. Most recently the Premiership Final loss to Saracens but also Lv Cup semi finals, European Challenge Cup finals and big European Rugby Challenge cup games against sides such as Leinster, Toulouse and Toulon.

 

The Bath faithful love Banners and it is clear to see he gives his all to the club whenever he steps foot onto the field of play. To be given the captaincy would be everything that Banahan deserves after all the blood, sweat and tears he has poured into the Blue, Black and White.

 

On Twitter, Ian (@HeathcockIan) said: “Banners for me. He was shouting orders today (Bath vs Sale) and getting bodies where they needed to be.”

 

Dave Attwood is another popular call among Bath fans and it is clear to see why. Similarly to Banahan and Louw, Attwood is a constant in the starting line up when fit. For me personally it is important for the captain to be someone in the starting line up, you want them to be one of the first names on the team sheet every week. Attwood is one of these players and has looked formidable since his return from injury.

 

Attwood is based in the pack and so, again similarly to Louw, he is in a typical position for a captain. Being in the thick of it all means you are aware of everything thats going on in within the team, even in the mysterious world of the scrum. Attwood gives his all to Bath Rugby and already has a reputation for making big hits both in attack and defence. Having played alongside Hooper in the second row as well he would have picked up a lot from Bath’s former captain. He is also not afraid to get stuck in and wont back down when things are getting heated, a quality fans love to see in their skipper.

 

Personally, I think Attwood would again make a fantastic leader. He was in and around the England squad before he picked up an injury just before the Six Nations. With the emergence of Kruis and Itoje, along with the consistency of Lawes and Launchbury it might be hard for Attwood to regain a place in the current England squad. However if he continues to play as well as he does for Bath a call up might be on the cards, meaning that he would be away for parts of the season due to the Autumn Internationals and the Six Nations.

 

On Twitter, Bath Bytes (@BathBytes) said: “My personal choice would be Dave Attwood maybe Matt Banahan, but I would prefer a forward in the engine room than a winger.”

 

Bath fans Ant Jones (@sixwheeler) and Richard Winter (@antjones72) would both like to see Attwood lead the side next season.

 

Ultimately Bath’s number of natural leaders on and off the field makes this a very hard decision. This is testament to both Hooper and the current coaching set up that the club now has numerous figures to turn to during a match. A side should always have various influential voices throughout their side and I believe all Bath fans are unanimous in agreeing that Louw, Attwood and Banahan would all make fantastic captains.