Whitelock’s his own man, not a captaincy clone

Coach Scott Robertson reckons new skipper Luke Whitelock has one major difference to brother George, Canterbury’s most successful rugby captain.

‘‘He’s a little bit different cut to George; George is a little bit more grumpier,’’ Robertson laughed.

But, in many ways, Luke Whitelock, 24, does fit the same mould, Robertson reckons.

‘‘They’re Whitelocks. ‘‘They’re really black and white and they tell it how it is; they will put their hand up.

‘‘They’re just good, honest, farming young men who come from a background that is instilled with the work ethic.’’

George, 29, captained Canterbury to five successive titles between 2009 and 2013 before leaving last year to join Japanese club Panasonic. He was the first of four brothers from a Feilding farm to don the red and black jersey with Sam, Adam and Luke following in his sprig-marks.

Back-rower Luke made his Canterbury debut in 2011 and has since played 34 games and has chalked up 50 appearances for the Crusaders since 2012.

But he has had his fair share of time riding the pine in the upper tier with All Blacks Kieran Read and Richie McCaw around and Jordan Taufua earning a regular berth with the Crusaders.

Robertson said the 2015 national provincial championship campaign will be a vital period in Whitelock’s career.

‘‘I’ve got a great relationship with Luke, he’s always performed in sides that I’ve been involved with. It is a key time in his career because he hasn’t had a lot of game-time at Super level [in 2015].

‘‘Now is his chance. He’s the captain, so you’re going to play him, he’s going to command a starting position. It’s his chance to show each week what he’s worth, as a leader and as a player.’’

Whitelock’s Canterbury contract is up at the end of the season and he is still working through his options for next year.

‘‘It’s awesome playing in the afternoon in great weather. It’s a great competition to be a part of.’’

Whitelock wants to have ‘‘more of an impact on the field, whether it’s with the ball in hand, or without the ball’’.

But the captaincy will not be a burden. He’s had plenty of leadership experience, culminating in captaining the New Zealand under-20 team to a world title in 2011.

‘‘I used to captain the [Feilding High] school team for a couple of years and I’ve always been involved in some sort of leadership role.’’

He said he’s ‘‘learnt a lot’’ from skippers like brother George, McCaw and Read, but is also adamant that ‘‘you’ve got to be your own person’’.

‘‘Obviously, any good captain leads from the front. It’s a matter of doing what I do, not what I say.’’

He will lead the team for the first time tomorrow in a preseason game against Wellington in the capital.