As expected, Chris Robshaw has been confirmed as England‘s captain ahead of the Autumn Internationals.
The Harlequins skipper, who has led his country in 16 of the last 19 Tests, was under pressure from Northampton flanker Tom Wood who captain the side in South America last summer as Robshaw was rested.
England will start their end of the year program with a clash against Australia on November 2 before taking on Argentina and New Zealand at Twickenham.
Chris Robshaw said: “Every time you pull on that white shirt it’s a privilege. It’s a huge honour to be named captain and to lead your country. But I’ve always said it’s not about who you are but what you do and I’ve got to make sure that I perform as a player first.
“We have some good leaders across the squad and I know we will support each other as we head into a massive game against Australia.”
England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: “The first and foremost criteria for captaincy is to be on the team sheet and Chris is in there on his playing ability.
“But on top of that he has a massive amount of respect within the squad and has led England well. Every team needs leaders; we are building a strong group and Chris is at the forefront of that leadership.”
Watch the video of the announcement below (Courtesy of Nick Heath @rugbymedia).