David Leggat: McCaw has a decent chance of emulating Kirk in Paris

What's the best way to choose the captain of a national sports team?

There are three basic options.

First is by seniority. Forget it, because invariably it is an appointment being made for the wrong reasons.

Another is you pick your team, then choose the best candidate from within those names. That means your captain is guaranteed his place on merit.

The third option is to pick the person with the best credentials as a leader, then fit him or her into the side.

Call this the Mike Brearley theory.

The England cricket captain of the late 1970s and early 1980s was barely up to the job as a test batsman, averaging 22 in 39 tests. But he was a superb captain, tactically astute, innovative and able to push the right buttons.

Take Botham and Bob Willis. Under Brearley, Botham took 112 test wickets at an average 24; Willis 150 at 19 apiece.

England won 18 of 31 tests under Brearley, most famously when he took over from Botham, who was capable of terrific deeds with bat and ball but clearly unsuited to leadership, to steer England to a 3-1 Ashes victory in 1981.

Australian firebrand fast bowler Rodney Hogg reckoned he had "a degree in people". Almost true. In fact, Brearley is a psychologist.

Richie McCaw undeniably fits the All Black captaincy bill in terms of playing ability. His place is unquestioned. And he's doing a pretty fair job as Crusaders captain this season. He's the standout candidate, so it would have been a pretty simple task for the All Black selectors.

Rugby captains tend to be forwards, although it's worth noting of the 60 All Black skippers, 24 are backs.

However, on closer inspection, of the 14 men to have led the All Blacks in 10 or more tests, only Tana Umaga (21) and David Kirk (10) wore the number 9 or higher on their backs. Seventeen of their number led the All Blacks in three or less tests.

Forwards tend to take a dim view of backs. Showponies, glory huggers taking the kudos after the sweat and toil of the pack set up the opportunities.

One All Black wing, and it may have been Stu Wilson, tells the story of getting stuck at the bottom of a ruck in a provincial game.

A mud-caked size 14 clumped down beside his head. It belonged to an All Black teammate, a notable hardman of the pack - and it may have been Frank Oliver - who with a mischievous grin, sneered: "What's a pretty boy like you doing down there?"

Both led the All Blacks in tests. Five men have captained the All Blacks at a World Cup, and only one of them has lifted the sport's ultimate prize. You'd be inclined to think McCaw has a decent chance of emulating Kirk in Paris next year.

* Heavyweight boxing is in a mess these days. Ask yourself who is the current world champion? If you told yourself Hasim Rahman, Wladimir Klitschko, Nicolay Valuev or Sergei Liakhovich you'd be right. Sort of.

Depending on which body's statistics you're looking at, you could come up with any of those names. It's a joke, which it certainly wasn't when Floyd Patterson, who died yesterday aged 71, was plying his trade.

An Olympic champion in 1952, Patterson won the world title four years later against ageing Archie Moore; lost it to Swede Ingemar Johansson in 1959, won it back off him a year later, copped a couple of first round poundings from Sonny Liston and a 12-round humiliation at the lightning hands of Muhammad Ali.

But he was always held in high personal regard. Famed for a style called peek-a-boo, Patterson lived on technique and speed of thought, compensating for a lack of real size.

Ali was merciless in their title bout after Patterson had refused to call him Muhammad Ali, instead calling him by his pre-conversion name Cassius Clay. Ali reckoned the only other fighter he deliberately set out to embarrass was fellow American Ernie Terrell in 1967, and for the same reason.

"What's my name," Ali repeatedly screamed at Terrell as he peppered him with painful blows but not with sufficient power to end the fight.

Still, Ali labelled Patterson the most skilful fighter he encountered. I reckon it wouldn't be hard to figure what both would think of the present state of their game.