Even Richie McCaw, the greatest captain which New Zealand has produced and perhaps the rugby world has known, says he didn’t feel he began to command the role the way he wanted until his third year of doing it.
It’s a job that makes almost impossibly difficult demands of those tasked with doing it.
There’s the need to command peer respect, connect with the coaching group, build a rapport with referees, make the micro on-field decisions that add up and matter, and most importantly of all, there is a need to play like a captain - to not just merit a starting spot, but consistently deliver world-class performances and build a global reputation for excellence.
It’s this last part, the question of leadership through form - of being a captain by example, a source of inspiration to teammates - that is the most pertinent to be asking with regard to Scott Barrett’s progress so far this year in establishing himself as the All Blacks’ captain.
Barrett, like his predecessors, has to date struggled to impose himself in the role, and the All Blacks’ now-habitual second-half collapse is as much a failure of leadership as anything else.
There’s a recognition that every test will ebb and flow, that momentum will shift, but the All Blacks have lost the art of wrestling it back when it gets away from them and have become a second-half ghost team, a rugby version of the Mary Celeste where they seemingly cast themselves adrift with mad moments of ill-discipline, erratic decision-making and no discernible strategy.
In trying to unravel the mystery of why the All Blacks’ foundations have been prone to collapsing this year, theories have flipped from having a weak bench, an inexperienced No 10 in Damian McKenzie, imbalanced back rows and back threes, and poor goal-kicking under pressure.
All these factors have played a part, but some of them, most of them even, could be remedied if there was stronger leadership – a talismanic figure imposing his will through his performance, presence and sheer force of personality.
The All Blacks never drifted like they do now on McCaw’s watch – because he simply wouldn’t let them.
His presence was undeniable and his peers carried a genuine fear about letting him down, while his performance was almost always inspirational to the extent that he made those around him feel anything was possible.
Everyone lost count of how many times McCaw would save the day – rescue a test that was threatening to slip away, through a mix of what he did, what he said, and what he demanded tactically.
It’s unrealistic to expect Barrett, in his first year in the role, to be operating at the level of McCaw in his prime, but it is fair to be wondering whether the skipper is struggling to be the captain he can be because his form is not where it needs to be.
Last year Barrett was the best lock in the country, if not the world, but 2024 has seen him plagued by finger and back injuries that saw him miss most of Super Rugby and then the Argentina series.
He was asked to not only take on the toughest job in world rugby, but to do it for the first time against England having not played a game for eight weeks.
He’s trying to pull off the almost impossible dual tasks of finding his form in the test arena on limited game time and learning the craft of All Blacks captaincy.
There is a direct relationship between form and effective captaincy, and it’s only going to be when Barrett has re-established himself as the country’s best lock that he will find the confidence to impose his will tactically and take more overt command of his troops.
The comparison between Barrett and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson in Sydney was illustrative of how the best leadership is driven by action - the latter being at the heart of his side’s second-half revival though the determination of his ball-carrying, the crunch of his tackling and his presence at the breakdown.
Wilson inspired his men to fight back, whereas Barrett and the rest of the All Blacks’ leadership group seemed powerless at times to impact the direction, execution or mindset of those around them.
Given the recidivist nature of the All Blacks’ second-half performances throughout 2024, some will inevitably want to question whether Barrett is the right long-term choice as All Blacks captain, especially as Ardie Savea was considerably more influential in Sydney and seemingly much closer to being the sort of dynamic, fearless, inspirational figure the team needed.
But it’s the wrong question to be asking, or at least is one much too early to be asking, because history has shown it takes a considerable period of time for any All Blacks captain to build a level of confidence about doing the job.
Barrett has shown when he’s at his best, he’s inspirational and capable of commanding global respect. He just needs to get back to being his best.
