Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says Stephen Moore is still his first-choice captain for the three-Test series in June despite calls for Michael Hooper to take over.
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Moore has had a mixed year for the Queensland Reds and was dropped to the bench at one point.
With the 2019 Rugby World Cup two years away, there is a belief that Moore won't be there for the centrepiece event, hence why it would be worth it for Cheika to promote Hooper to the captaincy. The Waratahs skipper was in charge for 13 Tests in 2014 when Moore was injured.
Despite form and age, Cheika said he would show loyalty to 34-year-old Moore, who has captained the Wallabies on 25 occasions.
"Moorey's going to be the captain for sure," Cheika said. "He knows there is some stiff competition. We always know captaincy is a leadership issue around the squad. Leadership doesn't just base itself on selection.
"I think Moore's playing quite well to be honest. That's Moorey's go; he's not going to chip over the top, regather, throw a dummy and score. His thing is being tight, [showing] leadership, being aggressive. That's what I want from him and I think he's doing that with the Reds. He's very abrasive in there and been playing a lot of minutes."
Hooper also threw his support behind Moore, saying his presence in the Wallabies squad for the series against Fiji, Scotland and Italy was imperative.
"Squeak [Stephen Moore] has been doing a fantastic job over the past couple of years and his voice is such a strong voice within that Wallaby group," Hooper said. "Me personally, I love getting in behind him and seeing what he has to say.
"My focus currently is the Waratahs and doing the best I can here."
Cheika added: "Hoops has obviously been captain before and done an outstanding job and I really think he's improved out of sight with the Tahs. I think he's excelled in the way he's evolved himself."
Cheika, who will announce his Wallabies squad on Tuesday evening on Fox Sports rugby program Kick & Chase, also name-dropped Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon as potential options to come into the team's leadership group.
"There's a couple of other guys I'm interested in bringing into more leadership roles ??? a guy like Samu Kerevi who has taken that leadership role [at the Reds]," Cheika said. "I was very happy they gave him that role in Queensland because I think he's a natural for it.
"The other guy, as controversial as this might be considering he's thinking about leaving, is Sean McMahon. I think Sean McMahon would be an excellent leader of men."
McMahon is understood to be seriously considering a move to Japanese rugby, so Cheika might have been deliberately using his comments as a bargaining chip to persuade the 22-year-old to stay.
Cheika said that as much as he would like him to stay in Australia - given McMahon has not reached the 60-Test threshold - he understands the back-rower's reasons for exploring his options.
"[The meeting was] not to talk him out of leaving, just tell him what's going on here," Cheika said. "I certainly met with him, he came up to Sydney for a day to work with some of the physios and we sat down and went over it.
"He's got strong reasons why he's thinking about it and I respect them and understand those totally. He's a class act."
