Ample options to lead the way for All Blacks

Ian Foster should have a smorgasbord of potential All Blacks captains treading the Super Rugby Pacific boards when the title contenders glove up over coming weekends.

The reality is he may have already secretly selected his skipper for 2022 but, for the sake of this exercise, let’s chase the angle that he hasn’t.

That allows us to debate the merits of the candidates as Foster turns up the heat in the penultimate season prior to the World Cup in France.

Last year Sam Whitelock, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane captained the All Blacks as Foster navigated a unique calendar due to the pandemic.

A serious chest injury to Cane, which required surgery, wiped him out of contention until the test against the United States in Washington DC on October 23, and Whitelock was unavailable for the Rugby Championship tests in Australia.

Whitelock led the All Blacks in the domestic matches against Tonga, Fiji and Australia, with Smith captaining his country for the first time in the first game against the Fijians.

Savea then took charge for the majority of the championship, with Retallick getting the reins against Argentina on the Gold Coast.

The door didn’t stop rotating: Whitelock replaced Savea for the northern tour apart from when he was rested, which allowed Cane to be boss for the first and only time in 2021 against Italy.

There’s also another player with captaincy experience who’s certain to be named in the All Blacks squad on June 13. Beauden Barrett led the All Blacks against the Barbarians in London in 2017, a role he hasn’t held since.

Watching how a captain reacts when his side is being crushed from every angle – opponents, officials and the crowd – can be fascinating.

Can he cajole team-mates to respond, how does he communicate with the referee, is he bold when forced to chase the game?

It all matters. In just over a week the playoffs will commence; all New Zealand teams, bar the Highlanders, are already across the line.

The more the merrier, for Foster. Who needs an All Blacks trial when, potentially, all contenders for an All Blacks jersey will be involved in the suddendeath games.

1. Retallick finally returns, but no Cane

Happy days for the Chiefs. But caution is required. Lock Retallick, having spent eight weeks mending a broken thumb, finally pulls out of the workshop and back onto the track.

Confirmed to play the Fijian Drua in Lautoka, Retallick will likely put his big frame to good use at Churchill Park, but all parties should be realistic.

There’s no substitute for hardcore action on the paddock, and the 92-test veteran has been starved of that over the last two months.

Cane, who strained a knee in the 51-24 win over the Western Force last weekend, has been cleared of serious injury but won’t face the Drua.

2. Another All Black, Scott Barrett, relocates to lock

Having started at No 6 in the Crusaders’ 61-3 rout over the Drua last Friday, captain Barrett goes back to his best position against the Reds.

Barrett, now in his third season as Crusaders skipper, could be a future All Blacks skipper but his disciplinary record does him few favours.

3. No Dalton Papalii for the Blues

Captain and openside flanker Papalii has been immense on the grass for the competition leaders this year. You would have to imagine he’s been OK off it, too, given the team’s success.

Papalii, who has been rested from the team to play the Waratahs in Sydney, has been a revelation since predecessor Patrick Tuipulotu skipped the competition to play in Japan.

The Blues are a massive franchise, yet the weight of expectation hasn’t dragged Papalii down. Not yet, anyway. Once the playoffs begin, the heat intensifies. It’s then up to the skippers not to wilt.