Some rugby players lead by example. Others lead by shouting. And a select few could probably convince their teammates to run through a brick wall without asking why.
Over the years, rugby has produced some extraordinary captains. World Cup winners, Lions legends and a few men who could silence a dressing room with one look.
But who was the greatest?
We've ranked the 10 best captains in rugby history, taking into account trophies, leadership, influence and the ability to get 14 other blokes pulling in the same direction.
Some obvious names make the cut. Others have missed out entirely.
And before anyone asks, yes, we've left out Brian O'Driscoll and Sam Warburton.
Let the arguments begin.
10. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Teams captained: Wales, British & Irish Lions, Ospreys
Major honours: Three Six Nations Grand Slams with Wales (2008, 2012, 2019); 2021 Lions tour captain.
Significance: If leadership was measured in sheer stubbornness, Alun Wyn Jones might be top of this list.
The Welsh second-row earned 158 caps and seemed to spend most of his career refusing to accept that his body was getting older.
He wasn't the sort of captain who needed a lengthy team talk. A glare across the dressing room usually did the trick.
His commitment was ridiculous. Even a dislocated shoulder before the 2021 Lions tour couldn't keep him away for long.
Three Grand Slams, a mountain of tackles and enough confrontations with referees to fill a documentary.
He might not have lifted the World Cup, but few players have given more to their country.
9. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
Teams captained: France, Toulouse
Major honours: 2011 World Rugby Player of the Year; three Six Nations titles; three French Top 14 titles.
Significance: No World Cup. No Lions series. Not even a winners' medal from the 2011 final.
Yet leaving Thierry Dusautoir off this list would be borderline criminal.
Nicknamed the Dark Destroyer, the French flanker treated tackling like a personal hobby.
His finest hour came in the 2011 World Cup final, when France pushed the All Blacks to within a single point of defeat.
Dusautoir scored his side's only try and produced a defensive masterclass that almost ruined New Zealand's big day.
France lost 8-7, but their captain walked off having given absolutely everything.
Sometimes leadership isn't about lifting the trophy. It's about making the opposition wish the final whistle had come 20 minutes earlier.
8. Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand)
Teams captained: New Zealand, Auckland
Major honours: 1987 Rugby World Cup winner; multiple Bledisloe Cup successes; 1996 Tri-Nations title.
Significance: If you thought Richie McCaw was a nuisance, Sean Fitzpatrick had been annoying opposition forwards long before him.
The legendary hooker captained New Zealand in 51 Tests, winning 39 of them.
He was part of the All Blacks side that won the inaugural World Cup in 1987, before becoming one of the game's most demanding leaders during the 1990s.
Fitzpatrick wasn't particularly interested in excuses.
Miss a tackle? He'd notice. Drop your standards? He'd definitely notice.
He helped establish the ruthless mentality that would later become synonymous with the All Blacks.
And judging by his reputation, being on the wrong side of one of his team talks probably wasn't much fun.
7. John Smit (South Africa)
Teams captained: South Africa, Sharks
Major honours: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2009 British & Irish Lions series victory; 2009 Tri-Nations title.
Significance: Imagine being responsible for keeping Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana all pulling in the same direction.
That was essentially John Smit's job.
The Springboks hooker captained South Africa in 83 Tests, leading them to World Cup glory in 2007.
Two years later, he added a Lions series victory and the Tri-Nations title.
Not a bad collection for the mantelpiece.
Smit wasn't always the most spectacular player on the pitch, but he had something arguably more important.
The respect of everyone around him.
He could manage enormous personalities, handle pressure and somehow make one of rugby's most intimidating teams even harder to beat.
6. Willie John McBride (Ireland)
Teams captained: Ireland, British & Irish Lions
Major honours: 1974 Lions series victory in South Africa as captain; 1971 Lions series victory in New Zealand as a player.
Significance: They really don't make many like Willie John McBride anymore.
The legendary Irish lock captained the British & Irish Lions on their extraordinary 1974 tour of South Africa.
Twenty-two matches. Twenty-one wins. One draw.
Not a single defeat.
McBride demanded toughness, loyalty and absolute commitment. Anyone hoping for an easy afternoon against his Lions was in for a nasty surprise.
The famous '99 call' became part of rugby folklore, although there was far more to his leadership than the physical stuff.
He brought together players from four nations and turned them into a team that simply refused to lose.
Five Lions tours and 17 Test appearances later, McBride remains one of the most respected figures in the tourists' history.
A proper old-school rugby captain.
5. John Eales (Australia)
Teams captained: Australia, Queensland Reds
Major honours: Two Rugby World Cups as a player (1991, 1999); 1999 World Cup-winning captain; 2001 British & Irish Lions series victory.
Significance: His nickname was 'Nobody'.
The joke? Nobody's perfect.
John Eales came remarkably close.
The Australian lock could tackle, lead, dominate the lineout and, rather annoyingly for opponents, kick goals as well.
He captained the Wallabies to World Cup glory in 1999 and later helped them defeat the Lions in 2001.
While other captains were screaming instructions, Eales often looked like he was deciding what to have for dinner.
Calm, intelligent and almost impossible to rattle.
He even kicked a last-minute penalty to beat the All Blacks in Wellington in 2000.
Because apparently being one of the world's best second-rows wasn't quite enough.
4. Francois Pienaar (South Africa)
Teams captained: South Africa, Transvaal, Saracens
Major honours: 1995 Rugby World Cup; Currie Cup titles with Transvaal.
Significance: Some captains win trophies. Francois Pienaar helped give an entire country a moment it would never forget.
In 1995, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup during a period of enormous political and social change.
The Springboks weren't supposed to beat the All Blacks in the final.
Someone forgot to tell Pienaar.
He led his side to a famous 15-12 victory, before receiving the Webb Ellis Cup from Nelson Mandela in one of sport's most iconic images.
Remarkably, Pienaar captained South Africa in all 29 of his Test appearances.
He didn't enjoy the lengthy international career of some names on this list.
But for leadership under pressure and significance beyond the pitch, very few come close.
3. Martin Johnson (England)
Teams captained: England, British & Irish Lions, Leicester Tigers
Major honours: 2003 Rugby World Cup; 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam; 1997 Lions series victory; two European Cups with Leicester.
Significance: Martin Johnson wasn't the sort of captain you'd want to disappoint.
One look from the Leicester lock was probably enough to make a grown prop apologise.
Johnson led England to their greatest moment in 2003, lifting the World Cup after that unforgettable final against Australia.
But he'd already proved his leadership credentials six years earlier.
In 1997, he captained the Lions to a famous series victory in South Africa, despite being just 27.
He wasn't particularly interested in inspirational speeches or elaborate celebrations.
Johnson wanted discipline, physical dominance and results.
Preferably all three.
England have produced some wonderful captains, but nobody else has combined World Cup and Lions success quite like him.
And you certainly wouldn't fancy telling him he should be lower on this list.
2. Siya Kolisi (South Africa)
Teams captained: South Africa, Stormers, Sharks
Major honours: Two Rugby World Cups as captain (2019, 2023); 2021 British & Irish Lions series victory.
Significance: Two World Cups as captain would put most players straight at number one.
Unfortunately for Siya Kolisi, there's a certain New Zealander standing in his way.
Kolisi's journey from humble beginnings to Springboks captain is one of rugby's great stories.
In 2018, he became South Africa's first Black Test captain.
A year later, he lifted the World Cup in Japan.
Then, just to prove it wasn't a one-off, he did it again in France in 2023.
Throw in a Lions series victory and you've got a captaincy CV that would make most legends jealous.
But Kolisi's greatest achievement might be what he's done away from the pitch.
He's become a symbol of hope, unity and possibility for millions.
Not bad for someone who once dreamed of simply playing rugby.
1. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Teams captained: New Zealand, Crusaders
Major honours: Two Rugby World Cups as captain (2011, 2015); seven Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship titles; four Super Rugby titles as a player.
Significance: Who else?
Richie McCaw didn't just captain one of rugby's greatest teams. He helped make them almost impossible to beat.
The legendary flanker led New Zealand in 110 Tests, winning two World Cups and setting standards that became the envy of international rugby.
He was everywhere.
At the breakdown, making tackles, winding up opposition supporters and somehow always finding himself on the right side of a crucial decision.
Well, most of the time.
McCaw had that rare ability to make everyone around him better.
When the All Blacks needed a big moment, he generally delivered.
Three World Rugby Player of the Year awards, two World Cups and a career built on winning.
Kolisi might eventually have a case for the crown, but for now, McCaw remains rugby's ultimate captain.
And we suspect even a few Springboks supporters might reluctantly agree.
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