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Alvin Sallay

There is a nice ring to 'captain Kidd'.

 Apart from being a dream name for headline writers, scrum-half Stephen Kidd will also bring in other, more worthy, credentials if he is named as the SAR's new captain.

 Hong Kong coach Phil Campbell is poised to name his captain for next month's Pacific Rim Championships. Tonight's second game against Western Australia at the Mongkok Stadium (7 pm) will make Campbell's mind up.

 Presently it seems that Kidd - who is captain tonight - is the leading contender to replace Roger Patterson as skipper for the home-and-away Pac Rim series and for October's Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers in Singapore.

 Kidd has got it all. He is a halfback who is capable of more than just passing the ball with metronomic accuracy.

 His main strength has always been a knack to occupy the minds of the opposition loose-forwards with sudden breaks. His speed of thought matches his nimble footwork.

 The former Waikato B player is respected by his peers and Hong Kong could benefit from his levelheaded approach and vision.

 For coach Campbell, the question will be whether to pick two separate captains - one for the Pac Rim and another for the Asian tournament - or to go for a player who is eligible to play in both tournaments. The latter option is undoubtedly the best. It brings continuity and helps to establish a pattern.

 Like Kidd, another player who is also eligible and will be in the running is workaholic No 8 Jon Dingley.

 The issue then will be if Campbell prefers a forward or a back as his captain?  If Campbell were to choose to go the other way and pick two different captains, the front-runner would be flyhalf Carl Murray.

 Murray is a thoughtful player who, like Kidd, can cause confusion amongst the opposition with his ability to spot opportunities quickly. A skilful flyhalf, Murray captained the SAR at sevens this season.

 As such, Murray could have an inside track but working against him is the fact that he does not fall within the three-year residency rule required by the International Rugby Board for the Asian tournament.

 Kidd, who arrived here in April, 1994, has no such worries. Hong Kong's biggest worry would be that he is prone to injuries. The 27-year-old Kiwi has been injured more times than he would care for in his four seasons in Hong Kong. One such injury - to his leg - ruled him out of the last Asian tournament in Taipei.

 Now he is keen - and fit again - to see Hong Kong win the Asian crown for the first time.



Captain Kidd poised to steer Hong Kong's ship for Pacific