TOM KIERNAN 24 times captain, 1967-1973 Had he been captain in the modern era, you'd probably be adding a further 20 caps to Kiernan's tally. Playing in the amateur era as he did, the fullback from Cork effectively doubled up as coach during his six-year tenure as captain and while, like Wood, he had no Triple Crowns or Championships to show for his stint as leader, there were plenty of memorable games, most particularly the 10-10 draw against New Zealand in 1973.

FERGUS SLATTERY 17 times captain, 1979-1981 With only five wins from 17 matches as captain, Slattery's record may appear poor but it's interesting to note that most of Ireland's defeats in that period were by tight margins. The obvious highlight of the flanker's time as captain was the 2-0 series win away to Australia in 1979 but he was replaced by Fitzgerald as skipper for the 1982 season, despite maintaining his place in the starting line-up in the Triple Crown winning season.

CIARAN FITZGERALD 19 times captain, 1982-1986 Fitzgerald, a member of the army at the time, captained by example, much like Keith Wood did a decade or so later. Will be best remembered for his famous "where's your f***king pride" comment against England back in 1985, an afternoon when Ireland clinched a famous Triple Crown with a late Michael Kiernan drop goal at Lansdowne Road. Hung up the armband, as well as the boots, at the end of the 1986 Five Nations.

KEITH WOOD (right) 36 times captain, 1996-2003 Ireland's first real captain in the professional era and a true professional to boot. His blood and guts playing style was an inspiration to those around him. He was the type of guy that any player would have put his body on the line for. Would have undoubtedly earned a few more caps as captain were it not for recurring shoulder trouble towards the end of his career and the other great pity was that he never led his side to anything concrete. The main highlight of his reign was the 20-14 victory over England in 2001.