After over a decade in which Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell have captained Ireland during most of Ireland's test matches, this year marks a new era, with a new skipper to be named.
But who should get the role full-time from now on?
Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and ex-international second row Trevor Hogan joined us on Off The Ball tonight and how the relationship between the chosen candidate and the media could effect the final decision.
Eddie emphasised that "what every captain has to remember when they step up to a microphone, they are not speaking for themselves, they are speaking on behalf of the other 22 players and coaching staff and management" but also added that the press can overreact even to relatively innocuous statement.
As for his own choice from the potential pool of leading candidates, Eddie went for a long-time stalwart.
"I think potentially, at the moment, Rory Best looks to me like the guy that would be most likely to receive the captain's armband going forward. Now, he's 33 years of age so the question is will he be the Irish hooker in four years time for the next World Cup? That's debatable. But I can see him being in situ until the next captain is groomed because you do need that stability now going into a new cycle and you will have new players coming into the squads," said Eddie.
"His experience - and he's an exceptional guy - he's an extraordinarily talented rugby player and he's a fantastic leader. He's always been captain material. So that takes pressure of the future captains on the basis that they're learning their trade around."
Eddie and Trevor Hogan also discussed the Pro 12 action. Listen in via the podcast:
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