Brumbies Nic White in action against the Kings at Canberra Stadium in April. Photo: Jay Cronan
Second-year scrumhalf Nic White will be thrown into the leadership deep end when he takes the ACT Brumbies' captaincy reins on Friday night.
Brumbies coach Jake White will put faith in Nic White to take over from regular skipper Ben Mowen as the ACT chases a Super Rugby finals berth.
But Brumbies and Wallabies great George Gregan says Nic White needs to find the balance between passion and leadership when he fills the void left by Mowen.
Gregan has backed White to earn selection in the Wallabies to be part of the series against the British and Irish Lions.
The fiery No9 is known for his on-field passion and at times White has engaged in heated verbal exchanges with referees.
Gregan - who captained both the Wallabies and the Brumbies - has no doubt White will lead from the front and handle the extra responsibility.
''Whitey is one of the leaders anyway so he's used to that role and obviously he's going to manage how he communicates with the officials and referees,'' Gregan told The Canberra Times.
''I think he's going to respond to the captaincy pretty well. There's a balancing act, but you can't lose too much [of the fire] because that makes him the type of player he is.
''He's a competitor and a very good player, it's just about getting the balance right to make sure you don't go too far in being too fiery and too temperamental as well as avoiding going the other way where he wouldn't be himself.
''That's the aspect that will be most challenging for him, but he's definitely up to it. It's a fine line, you don't see too many people in the No9 jersey who aren't like that. Playing will be the easiest part.
''But it's going to be a great experience for him, there's nothing like leading your team and taking on that responsibility and it will help his game develop even quicker.''
Mowen is in camp with the Wallabies as they begin preparations for the British and Irish Lions series.
Jake White unveiled White as the new captain at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
The feisty No9 will be tasked with stepping up to lead a young group of players into battle against the Melbourne Rebels at Canberra Stadium.
It comes just 30 games into White's professional career and there is a view the 22-year-old can be a long-term leader at the Brumbies.
A host of senior players - including David Pocock, George Smith, Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander - are all unavailable for selection through Wallabies duties or injury.
Jake White could have opted to give the captaincy duties to a more experienced player.
But Nic White has proven himself as a leader after just two full seasons as the Brumbies first-choice scrumhalf.
His form on the field has catapulted him into Wallabies selection contention for the series against the Lions and leadership credentials will help his cause.
White will line up against former Test No9 Luke Burgess when he makes his return to Australian rugby and plays his first game for the Rebels on Friday night.
White has signed a two-year deal to stay with the Brumbies and Australian rugby as he chases a berth at the 2015 World Cup.
He missed out on making his international debut last year when he opted to have a shoulder reconstruction instead to get 100 per cent fit and he nursed a broken jaw through pre-season after he was king hit at a music festival.
The Brumbies will name their team on Thursday ahead of the clash with the Rebels.
There will be a host of changes with Mowen, Moore, Alexander, Christian Lealiifano and Joseph Tomane all unavailable due to Wallabies duties.
No comments:
Post a Comment