The Brumbies have today unveiled a four man leadership group with Ben Mowen named as captain for the 2012 season.
Joining Mowen in the new look leadership group are Wallabies Stephen Moore and Pat McCabe, with Dan Palmer joining them in the vice-captain role to fill the vacancies left after the departures of Matt Giteau, Rocky Elsom and Stephen Hoiles.
Brumbies coach Jake White said the decision was simple and that Mowens track record of captaining of junior teams and his relationship with the other players within the squad was what he wanted as a leader and now was the time for something new within the squad and sees the announcement as the beginning of a new era at the club which has undergone a massive transformation during the off season.
With some observers believing that the more experienced Moore would be an automatic selection as captain as he has been with the squad for longer, White said that the issue should not be looked upon that way, because if that were the case he would not be head coach and Stephen Larkham would be in that role.
Mowen sees his appointment as a privilege and has the belief that the players and coaches have what it takes to succeed this year on the back of a pre-season that, for the majority of the squad, has been underway since June last year and the results of pre-season trials against the Force and Queensland have been promising.
Mowen said that he doesn’t feel the pressure of being the only captain amongst the Australian Super Rugby teams not to have represented the Wallabies and sees the situation as ‘perfect’.
Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore says it is a huge responsibility it is important that the vice-captains offer Mowen the support he needs whilst also keeping their performance at a high level consistently and lead with their actions on and off the field.
The rise for Pat McCabe continues and sees his appointment as a nice compliment from Jake White after a huge 2011 that saw him selected for the Wallabies squad for the first time and says the experienced he gained has helped him take on the responsibility in 2012.
The captaincy announcement brings the Brumbies one step closer to completing the puzzle before taking on the Western Force in round 1 of the SupeRugby competition and will complete their preparations with a trial against the ACT XV on Thursday night at Greenway oval in Tuggeranong.
In other news, Moore says that the shoulder injury he sustained in the trial against Queensland has settled and was hopeful of taking the field in round 1 against the Western Force whilst McCabe is unsure of a return date but is due to commence contact work later this week.
