The Welsh were unlucky enough to lose their captain, Matthew Rees, in the last few weeks and have taken the bold move of naming 22-year-old openside Sam Warburton as their skipper. England made a similarly bold move back in 1989 when they named 22-year-old Will Carling.
He went on to become one of the most successful and well known captains in world rugby, but it took time for him to win the respect of his team-mates and the international fraternity.
Scotland have Alistair Kellock as skipper - a solid lock who will keep the ship steady. But he's hardly the sort of player who forces the heart to skip a beat. Brian O'Driscoll is one of the few genuine, big personalities who will be at the World Cup. The Irish skipper has led his country a staggering 75 times and will be playing in his fourth World Cup.
Think of the great names that have lifted the Webb Ellis trophy, David Kirk, Nick Farr-Jones, Francois Pienaar, John Eales, Martin Johnson and John Smit, and O'Driscoll is equipped to join them. He is one of the game's greats; maybe the best centre ever.
Hoping to join that list are Italian captain Sergio Parisse and France's Thierry Dusautoir. The former is a great player, a highly skilled No 8 with some clout in the European game. He is a recognised leader, too, but he's at the helm of a team that will be doing well to win twice.
The latter is developing into the best captain France have had since Raphael Ibanez. Dusautoir took over the captaincy in 2009 and has grown into the role. His stature as a player has never been in question since he rose to prominence with his 2007 World Cup quarter-final heroics.
But the two captains who stand out the most are Smit and Richie McCaw. The Springbok skipper is under pressure to hold his place, with everyone in the world other than coach Peter de Villiers of the opinion that Bismarck du Plessis needs to start for the Boks at hooker.
Smit, though, continues to hold his place on the strength of his captaincy. Referees love him and he has a magical touch with his team. The danger for South Africa is he is struggling with the pace and intensity of test rugby.
McCaw has more boxes ticked than any other skipper. He has 61 tests as captain; has three times been the IRB Player of the Year and is considered by more than just All Blacks coach Graham Henry to be the most influential player in the world.
"Captaincy is about being there for a wee while and getting comfortable with it and having not only the respect of players and management but the respect of the referees," says assistant All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
"Richie has grown into a fantastic leader and, while people were questioning him at the last tournament, he has grown in the last four years in the way we knew he would.
"That's not to say the other sides don't have good captains but it is pretty important to have one who has been there for a while. When you have got an iconic captain, someone who has relationships with the referees - and the referees know they can work with that captain - then it has got to be an advantage.
"I am not saying they will get away with more than anyone else but if you have a relationship, then it is always easier."
