Jeremy Guscott: Robshaw has credentials to captain England again

Stuart Lancaster‘s comments this week about selecting the England captain, and putting off the decision to do so, are intriguing. The England head coach said: “Everyone has to fight to play. If you named the captain now it shuts the door on people in the position…there’s no need to announce a captain early when it might influence what you’re thinking selection-wise.”
Spot on. You pick the team first and then the captain – unless you’re really struggling. What Lancaster’s quote also suggests is that there are contenders for captain and openside.
However, although I like the method that Lancaster has outlined, it’s not a resounding endorsement for Chris Robshaw, as these remarks from the head coach about the leading candidates suggest:
“I am not going to hand the captaincy around like confetti, but it can weigh heavily. I do not see it as a shoot-out between Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood. You also have to consider form and fitness. Chris  has done a great job thus far; Tom did a great job in Argentina having not captained his club side before. Dylan Hartley has done it for us. Geoff Parling stepped up as key leader on the Lions tour, and both Andy (Farrell) and Graham (Rowntree) felt he showed captaincy material.”
Let’s get real. If Hartley becomes England captain then all logic has flown out the window, given his very recent disciplinary history. On top of that he’s not even been first choice hooker for England lately, so why would you make him captain unless there were a couple of injuries? And even then?
What these cryptic clues from Lancaster say to me is that it’s a very close call between Robshaw and Wood. It’s so big that he has to delay naming his captain – and that means a change is very close, if not already decided.
What are the other permutations? As well as Parling has played, does he really stand out as the captain? No – and nor does anyone else jump off the squad page as the obvious pick.
Wood captained an inexperienced England side in Argentina, who were massively under strength. England played well, but they were against a Pumas team unrecognisable from the one that represented Argentina in the Rugby Championship.
If Lancaster is looking for a Richie McCaw, John Smit or Martin Johnson, the last three World Cup-winning captains, the cupboard is bare. He’s going to have to wait until 2019 to unearth gems like those, or be the first World Cup-winning coach in modern times whose captain has not had way over 50 caps or been world class.
Judged purely on performance it would be a tough call if Robshaw is not asked to continue as captain. The playing landscape hasn’t changed as far as openside goes, especially as Matt Kvesic is playing in a Gloucester team that’s struggling, and has not performed as expected.
Northampton‘s Calum Clark hasn’t been that outstanding among the other contenders and has not done enough to make you think, ‘yep, he’s our openside’.
Robshaw has continued doing what he does better than anybody else in his position. His consistency is hard to match, he tackles, carries, and gives away few penalties. If that’s not really match-changing in the style of Richie McCaw and David Pocock – which at international level is what an openside should be – Robshaw has gone away and thought what he can do better.
First on my list would be to generate turnovers. Last season Saracens No.7 Will Fraser and Kvesic were ahead on that front, but both were also way higher on turnovers conceded. This season Robshaw currently heads Kvesic on turnovers won – Fraser returned from a long injury lay-off only last weekend – and is better at looking after the ball.
Robshaw has given away more penalties than usual, but that’s a sign that he’s changed his style a bit. He just needs to get the balance of knowing when to strike for the turnover and when to stay out of the breakdown.
There’s a reason why Robshaw has been captain up until now: Lancaster’s first pick is a workaholic on the pitch, he’s never short of putting in a full shift, and he is fully committed to improving himself and others. He’s incredibly unselfish, one of those deserving guys who rarely have an average performance. They’re always good, or better, at club level.
However, the best teams generally have a captain that is one of the best in the world, and, as nice a guy as Robshaw is, he’s not yet become the best, or one of the best No.7s in the world.
That’s not his fault, he’s been selected to do a job – and he’s been doing it the best he can. For me, Robshaw fits the first priority of being captain because he is in the starting line-up on merit. Certainly, from outside the camp, I don’t see Wood standing head and shoulders above Robshaw with better credentials to be England captain.
There are tough decisions to be made by a coach as we witnessed during the summer tour to Australia by the Lions, when Warren Gatland made a big leadership call with Sam Warburton. It worked out – and England fans will be hoping that Lancaster’s selection for captain will have the same result.