KEY POINTS:
Roy Asotasi should be stripped of the captaincy when the 19-man Kiwis squad to take on Australia is named on Wednesday, according to a collection of former Kiwi skippers and coaches.
Asotasi and Souths team-mate David Kidwell were the architects of a very public campaign to oust Gary
Kemble as coach after the Kiwis' disastrous results against Australia and Great Britain.
Both said Kemble wasn't good enough and implored the NZRL to replace him with Stephen Kearney and Wayne Bennett.
"Roy Asotasi is a gentleman and first-choice as a player but what he did against Gary Kemble was unacceptable," said former coach Frank Endacott. "A lot of people, including ex-Kiwis, have said what he did was brave but the bond between a coach and captain has to be unbreakable, there has to be ultimate loyalty.
"I would have him as a player and I wouldn't hold any grudges but he wouldn't be my captain. Nathan Cayless would be mine."
Former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan agreed that Asotasi had overstepped the mark.
"I don't think it should be Roy," he said. "There needs to be some punishment, even if the captaincy is taken away from him for a year.
"I know Wayne Bennett wouldn't like his players speaking out so publicly. If they give it back to Roy, then the message is that it's OK to speak out publicly against a coach and it's not OK."
Graham Lowe was the most outspoken against Asotasi last year, and he hasn't changed his view the captaincy should be stripped from Asotasi.
"I think Sonny Bill Williams should be captain because he's the best player," Lowe said, "and in recent times he has shown he can handle the media.
"It would be a long-term appointment."
The 22-year-old Williams has little captaincy experience but has repeatedly said he would like to be Kiwis captain one day.
Tawera Nikau, a former Kiwis vice-captain and New Zealand Maori skipper, also believes Williams should be captain but only because Asotasi has too much on his hands with a struggling Souths outfit.
"I have no dramas with what Roy and David did because they stood up for what is best for the team," Nikau said. "Kearney is with the Storm and they have had co-captains so Cayless and Sonny Bill might get the job - one older and one younger."
Whoever gets the job, there is plenty of experience in the Kiwis camp with Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones and Dean Bell working alongside Bennett and Kearney.
Duanne Mann was the only former captain or coach who supported Asotasi.
"Roy was speaking on behalf of the team and he showed leadership and loyalty to the team," Mann said. "The way it played out was unfortunate but the message was a worthy one... it shouldn't be held against him.
"The players respect him, he can stay on the field for long periods, the opposition rate him highly and he's been a part of the Kiwis for a long time so there's more in his favour to keep him than dropping him."
The feeling is Asotasi will retain the captaincy, despite it needing NZRL board approval. That same board criticised Asotasi at the time and said they would punish him for his stance.
Kearney said he hadn't been told he couldn't appoint Asotasi.
THE NZRL will fight British clubs for the release of both Brent Webb and Thomas Leuluai for the May 9 test. Leeds (Webb) and Wigan (Leuluai) have both said they are unwilling to release the duo because it clashed with the fifth round of the Challenge Cup.
Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington said there was an arrangement with the NZRL that players would be released only if they had avoided Super League teams for the cup ties. Leeds drew Harlequins and Wigan will face National League side Whitehaven.
Kearney, though, said they would fight to have Webb and Leuluai released.
International regulation 4.1 requires clubs to release players for internationals if fit, otherwise they would be barred from playing for five days before and five days after the date of a test match.
"Both clubs said they would be unwilling to let the lads go but they are both desperate to play for the Kiwis and we want them," Kearney said. "We have decided we owe it to them to do everything to get them back. I didn't want it to get to that stage."
NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz has emailed the English league and indicated they will demand the release of players picked for the test.
