sport news The reason new Wallabies skipper Allan Alaatoa is nicknamed 'Captain Grumpy' ... trends now
Allan Ala'alatoa becomes the Wallabies' first new skipper since 2015 on Saturday, and the prop nicknamed 'Captain Grumpy' ascended to the throne powered by huge servings of KFC.
With regular skipper James Slipper rested for the clash against Italy and ex-captain Michael Hooper still on the comeback trail from a mental health break, the 28-year-old becomes the first new player thrust into the role since Dean Mumm's one-off Test seven years ago.
Ala'alatoa, the Brumbies skipper who came out of the prestigious Newington College rugby nursery in Sydney, has made more than 100 Super Rugby appearances and now has more than 61 Test caps under his belt.
The 'Captain Grumpy' nickname might not seem ideal for a national team's skipper, but it is perhaps the best compliment an Aussie could receive.
The uncompromising Allan Ala'alatoa (left, pictured tustling with Springbox Eben Etzebeth earlier this year) has been named as the Wallabies 85th Test captain
Ala'alatoa's father Vili, who represented Samoa at the 1991 World Cup, is cricket-mad, and when Allan was born in 1994, the infamous, but revered, original Captain Grumpy, Allan Border was at the back end of a glorious 156-Test career as Australia's cricket skipper.
Still playing club rugby, Vili was so inspired by Border's leadership that he named his second-born son after him.
Legendary ex-Aussie cricket skipper Allan Border (left, being interview by Ian Chappell) inspired Vili Ala'alatoa to name his second-born son Allan
Allan Ala'alatoa (left) with brother Michael (right) after his Brumbies took on the Crusaders in 2019
It has since led to the current Brumbies skipper inheriting Border's iconic 'Captain Grumpy' nickname, which the legendary left-hander earned for his famously uncompromising and no-nonsense demeanour.
Leadership - whether it be in title or not - is nothing new to Ala'alatoa, though.
Wallabies and Brumbies teammate Tom Wright lauded the way he gelled with both younger and older players, and said the first time he saw Ala'alatoa's leadership on display
