The Role of Captain in Rugby

A team captain in virtually any sport must act as a leader for his fellow players, organizing and motivating the team to play to the best of their ability. However, the laws of rugby, authorized by the International Rugby Board, lay out additional specific duties for team captains. As a result, the role of captain on any rugby team goes far beyond being involved in the coin toss that determines which team will kick off.

  1. Fair Play

    • Rugby prides itself on being played within the rules and in a sportsmanlike spirit. IRB laws specifically state team captains have an important role in both of these aspects. Along with coaches, players and referees, captains must uphold the laws of the game and always play within those laws. The IRB stresses a spirit of fair play should be paramount on the rugby field. The rules give captains a specific duty to assist players and coaches in respecting the referee and the laws he represents.

    Consultation

    • The captain is the only member of either team permitted to consult with the referee. If the referee needs to speak to a member of either team, he will call both that player and the team captain toward him. Rugby laws also allow the referee to warn a team for repeated foul play; the referee makes this warning to the captain. It is the captain’s role to pass information from the referee to all the team's players.

    Decision-Making

    • The captain is also responsible for tactical decisions made on the field. If the referee awards a team a penalty due to foul play by the opposition, the captain must decide whether to take the penalty as a scrum, kick the ball off the field for a lineout, or ask his placekicker to attempt to kick the ball between the goalposts for three points. The captain will make the choice, taking into account the location of the penalty on the field, the range of his placekicker and the time left in the game.

    Replacement Players

    • Scrums require eight members of each team to crouch and push against each other for possession of the ball; these require three specialists on each team. Known as the “front row” due to their position directly in contact with the opposing team, these players receive specific training for their own safety. If a front row player is injured and needs medical attention, the captain must either choose a replacement, whether that player is trained to perform the task or simply act as a substitute, until the injured player can return to the field.