Responsibilities of Being a Rugby Captain

Rugby was invented at the Rugby School of England in 1823 when William Webb Ellis picked up a soccer ball and ran with it. Nearly 50 years later, the first Rugby union was formed in London. The sport is played throughout the world today, professionally and at colleges and universities, as well as less formally. American football emerged from rugby, when the forward pass was adopted as a way to lessen the sport's brutality. Rugby leagues today are led by captains, who work with coaches and senior players to build their players into winning teams.

  1. Liaison

    • A rugby captain acts as liaison between his players and the club they play for. When the team owner or someone from the club needs to communicate with the team, they do so through the captain. The captain speaks for the team. Acting as liaison between the team and the public is another duty of the team captain. If the media needs someone from the team to talk to, for instance, they would most likely turn to the captain.

    Team Building

    • One of the most important jobs a rugby team captain has is bringing his team together as a cohesive whole. It is his job to turn the players into a team. A team captain is responsible for making sure the game stays fun and that players feel part of something bigger than themselves. The team captain knows each player individually and has strategy for building the team around individual personalities. He also knows when it is time to become more informal and just have fun during practices.

    Tactics

    • The rugby team captain must have a strong knowledge of the game and how it is played. He sometimes must make spur of the moment decisions on the field. In addition, the successful captain knows how to make use of his players during a game. If he has a player that is strong in one part of the game, he is able to delegate strategic authority. The team captain knows his limits, and makes full use of his entire team.

    Leadership

    • The team captain is situated in the hierarchy of rugby between the team coach and the senior players. While it is his job to lead the team as a whole, it is also his job to listen to the coach and take direction. The successful captain is also aware of the strengths of his senior players and is capable of listening to suggestions and incorporating them into his leadership.