With Jonny Sexton stepping away from Leinster duties this season, it was always interesting to see who would step up and take over the captaincy in his absence.
There were no shortage of options in the squad, with the province having a huge number of experienced players at their disposal. In the end, they made the rather unorthodox move of appointing co-captains.
Garry Ringrose and James Ryan will share the position moving forward.
The move has caused some debate. While both players are fitting choices, the concept of a joint captain is one which some do not necessarily agree with.
We were given one glimpse at a potential issue that could arise as a result of the decision this evening.
READ HERE: French Ref Criticises Introduction Of New Law At Recent World Cup
Issue with Leinster captaincy shown up during Munster game
Leinster took on Munster in the URC at the Aviva Stadium this evening, with a number of big hitters in both sides amid their return to action after the Rugby World Cup. That included both James Ryan and Garry Ringrose, with the pair leading out their team ahead of kick-off.
In saying that, there was one moment in the game where their joint captaincy caused an issue for the side.
Just after the 20-minute mark in the contest, Leinster were penalised ten yards as a result of a conversation James Ryan had with referee Chris Busby.
The rules in rugby around speaking to officials are rather strict, with only the captain being allowed to start a conversation with the referee.
On commentary duties with Premier Sports, Alan Quinlan was quick to point out the reason for Leinster being penalised.
While Ryan is co-captain alongside Garry Ringrose, only one player can be nominated as the on-field captain at any given time. Ringrose filled that position for this fixture.
When the second row attempted to speak to Busby, his team was penalised ten yards as the referee was forced to judge it the same as if it was any other member of the team.
25 November 2023; Leinster co-captain James Ryan leads the team in the warm-up before the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Munster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
James Ryan has acted as captain on the field for both Leinster and Ireland on numerous occasions in the past, meaning he is used to speaking to referees. We do not recall him being penalised for an incident such as this one when Sexton was acting as captain.
In the early days of this new arrangement, it was perhaps fair to expect some teething problems. This is something the two players will no doubt sort out moving forward.
SEE ALSO: Ex-Wales Star Suggests Intriguing Reason For Peter O'Mahony Captaincy Decision
