Skipper.

Former Ireland captain Rory Best has back Alun Wyn Jones to lead the British and Irish Lions in South Africa this summer.

A number of players are said to be in the running but the Wales skipper seems to be leading the way and Best, who toured with the Lions in 2013 and 2017, agrees with the general consensus.

Best reckons not only is Jones playing the best of the home nations captains, he’s also having the most impact as a leader.

The Ireland centurion reckons Wales should never have won this year’s Six Nations but “found something” and Jones deserves some credit for getting them over the line.

“Of all the home nations, if you look at their skippers, the only one that’s probably a shoo-in to start is Stuart Hogg,” Best said.

“But then he’s very inexperienced as a captain. Going to South Africa you probably don’t want your 15 as the captain anyway. That’s the conundrum.

“I suppose for me, if you’re looking at the guys that are playing the best it’s probably Alun Wyn Jones. Not just in playing individually but also the impact he’s having on his team as a leader.

“That Welsh team never should have been champions when you look at them from the end of January. But they found something… That’s what you need from your captain.”

As for Maro Itoje, Best doesn’t think he’s the man for the job given his lack of captaincy experience.

“The Itoje one, I think it’s almost a little bit like the under-14s where it’s – your best player is bound to be a good captain. At the end of the day he doesn’t captain England and he doesn’t captain Saracens,” Best added.

“Okay, you have Farrell and [formerly] Brad Barritt. But at the same time – is it going to make him a better player? Is it exactly what he needs? I think there is this feeling that, ‘Oh, because he’s so good he has to be a good captain.’

“Maybe he isn’t. The worry would be with Maro Itoje is that you make him captain and the responsibility of having to lead the team discipline potentially takes away from his performance.”

Former Ireland rugby captain Rory Best has teamed up with Specsavers to support its Healthy Hearing campaign, launched in celebration of important PRSI changes.

To mark the new benefits, which see thousands of people now qualify for free hearing aids at Specsavers, the popular opticians and audiologists has pledged to test and screen a quarter of a million people over the next two years.

An Irish role model, who at times struggles with his own hearing, Rory is keen to support Specsavers and highlight the importance of taking a proactive approach to hearing loss.