THOSE unhappy with generalisations should look away now but there are only two kinds of rugby captains.
There is the captain whose tactical and technical wisdom inspires his men from a position behind the front line, and there is the exuberant and committed player who inspires through the sheer force of his playing example, like one of those airport guidance trucks bearing the words "follow me". Lewis Moody is not a tactical numbskull but he would feature in the latter category of leaders and that is why England should appoint him as captain for the RBS Six Nations Championship.
England lacked many things last autumn and exuberance was in the shortest supply of all. There was a haunted air about the team, and Steve Borthwick, the captain, could not bring any inspirational qualities to bear that were noticeable from the stands or from the testimony of players. Moody must be let loose - he is a warrior, a hard man with endless life in his game, and now that he appears to be over a cruel run of injury, he is England's most inspirational player.
Why do England need a new leader? Borthwick has far more detractors than champions for the roles of lock and captain, and the refusal of Martin Johnson to confirm he would lead the side if selected, left the door open. Johnson was also disingenuous in attributing all the criticism to a media campaign. Forget for a moment the fact that one or two media observers in England may have seen the odd rugby game, may have tapped into the odd contact and may be qualified to make a judgment. The ranks of those who deem that Borthwick comes up short are swelled by many from outside the media.
It is disappointing and even alarming that England have so few contenders as captain. Johnson pointed out that the chief lieutenants to Borthwick are Jonny Wilkinson and Moody, but if you sift through the England squad you find few others as contenders for captaincy.
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The other route of finding a leader is to take an informed gamble, something Geoff Cooke did when he appointed Will Carling as England captain in 1988. Cooke saw something in Carling and had the courage to make a long-term appointment. The only equivalent in the present squad is James Haskell, who attracts roughly the sort of attention Carling did all those years ago. But Johnson is no cavalier when it comes to taking selectorial risks, and so it is Moody who provides the best mix of experience, energy and low risk.