THERE’LL BE NO shortage of leaders in the Connacht dressing room this season. Or at least that seems to be the way new head coach has come to his decision to name three captains.
John Muldoon and record caps holder Michael Swift will step up to the rank alongside last season’s skipper, Gavin Duffy.
The ex-Auckland Blues coach explained in a statement on the province’s website that the actual duty of being captain on the field will be shared among the three men and beyond.
A leadership panel, as is now commonplace at most professional teams, will continue to operate below the three men at the top.
“When you have players joining your team from around the world and outside the province,” Lam says in a statement on the province’s website, “it’s important for everyone to understand the values of a Connacht player. Our own team identified those values as ‘committed, tough, a team man, respected, and accountable.
“These three men exemplify what Connacht Rugby is all about and they are fantastic ambassadors for the club.
“They care passionately about Connacht Rugby. They’ve seen where we’ve come from, they know where we are now and they want to be part of where we are going.”
The addition of Craig Clarke and added responsibility may well give Swift a new lease of life in his 14th and potentially final year with the western province.
Duffy and Muldoon will each hope that fitness allows them much more opportunity than last year. The utility back struggled to shake off a series of niggling injuries and his absence handed Robbie Henshaw invaluable opportunities.
Muldoon, meanwhile, had his season cut short in November when he suffered a broken leg in the Ireland’s uncapped international against Fiji. He is two games from his 200th Connacht appearance.
