As Leinster continue to work out the wrinkles after the retirement of Johnny Sexton and arrival of Jacques Nienaber, one of the things that has caused an issue at times in the early portion of the season is their decision to appoint co-captains.
With Sexton no longer in the picture, it was decided that James Ryan and Garry Ringrose would share the position moving forward. They are two fine options for the role, although the dynamic of having two captains in a squad is something that we have not seen all that often.
In terms of it being in action on the pitch, it has caused some confusion. You can only have one appointed captain on the field of play at a given time, with Ryan getting told off for speaking to the referee when Ringrose was filling that role in the win over Munster earlier this month.
During the victory over La Rochelle at the weekend, the second row once again found himself in hot water with the officials. On this occasion, referee Matthew Carley refused to engage with Ryan due to the player's persistent pleading for on-field decisions. He would only deal with Ringrose from that point onwards.
This is something Leinster are going to need to work out moving forward.
READ HERE: James Ryan Comments Highlight Impact Of The Newly Arrived Nienaber
James Ryan criticised for approach with referee in Leinster loss
James Ryan has filled the captain role at both provincial and test level on a number of occasions in recent years, although the incident against La Rochelle was not a great look for a player of his experience.
Backchat to referees is something that become increasingly level at the top level of the sport in recent times, something the officials will be keen to stamp out moving forward.
Speaking on The Rugby Pod, former Scotland star Jim Hamilton said that the Irishman would have been 'embarrassed' by his actions in the aftermath of the game.
It's a big talking point out of the game. I reckon James Ryan wouldn't be far away from the Ireland captaincy as well.
We know Johnny Sexton's history around talking to referees, we've spoken about Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar, it's a thing. The Champions Cup is such a high level, you're up against the champions away from home and fully emotionally in that zone.
We know the difference between being a captain and a great captain is how you interact with the referees. It's becoming a thing now, it's very topical and being called out.
I'm sure James Ryan is very embarrassed by that...
He got bullied by La Rochelle (in 2021). He has fronted up recently and taken himself to a physical level, and you could see how emotionally charged he was.
For Matt Carley to say 'I'm not speaking to you anymore, you can bring your co-captain Garry Ringrose to start talking to me', it's a rude awakening for him if we are speaking frankly.
James Ryan is still learning in his new role with Leinster, meaning incidents such as the ones discussed above are likely to become less common moving forward.
As Hamilton points out, interacting with referees is a big part of any captain's role on the pitch. It is an area he will need to improve in over the coming months and years.
SEE ALSO: Joe Schmidt Could Face Off With Andy Farrell Sooner Than Expected
