Robshaw thrown in the deep end
New England captain Chris Robshaw will be winning just his second Test cap when he leads the side against Scotland in his first visit to Murrayfield on Saturday.
Yet the 25-year-old Harlequins skipper insisted he was relishing trying to begin the defence of England’s Six Nations title with a Calcutta Cup victory at the home of their oldest rivals.
“It’s one of those places I’ve never actually been to. As a rugby player, you want to play on the big stage,” he said at England’s training base. “It is a daunting place and it is going to be very tough – but it’s one everybody’s looking forward to.”
Robshaw, who won his solitary cap in a defeat by Argentina more than two-and-a-half years ago, was picked as captain by acting coach Stuart Lancaster with England looking to put a poor World Cup compounded by several embarrassing off-field incidents well and truly behind them.
England’s new skipper didn’t make the 30-man squad for New Zealand, but following the Test retirement of former captain Lewis Moody the side needed a new leader.
The honour might have gone to Robshaw’s fellow back-row Tom Wood but he is out with a foot injury.
As it is Lancaster, who had Robshaw as his skipper when in charge of England’s reserve Saxons side, has told his new captain he’s only set to be in charge for the Six Nations matches against Scotland and Italy before he reviews the situation.
Robshaw may be England’s most inexperienced captain since scrumhalf Nigel Melville led them in a 19-3 defeat by Australia at Twickenham on his Test debut in 1984, but he knows about helping restore a side’s reputation.
Quins appointed Robshaw as captain in 2010 when the London club were still struggling with the fall-out from the ‘Bloodgate’ scandal that saw former boss Dean Richards, the ex-England No.8, banned from rugby.
Richards was bang to rights when it emerged he’d ordered a player to deliberately cut himself in a bid to get a replacement on in a European Cup tie.
But now Harlequins, under former Ireland fullback Conor O’Shea, are top of the Premiership.
England would dearly love a similar outcome now Robshaw is their skipper.
However, Robshaw warned a quick turnaround in England’s fortunes was by no means assured.
“Dealing with stuff like that, from my experience at Harlequins, it just doesn’t happen overnight.
“But I’m pretty sure we’re going in the right direction.”
And he insisted his experience of captaining Quins would help him in his new England role.
“When I first got it, I was trying to do too much,” he said.
“You forget what got you there in the first place – playing well, leading by example.
“Once I got back to that, everything fitted.”
Where exactly to play Robshaw, with Wood injured and James Haskell unavailable because of his Japanese club commitments, could prove a tricky decision for Lancaster, due to name his side on Thursday.
“You’re jumping my selection gun,” said Lancaster when asked about Robshaw’s position. “Um, as a flanker.”
Robshaw’s on-field decision-making will be under the spotlight as never before at Murrayfield.
In both Quins’ European Cup matches this month he opted for scrums rather than going for goal when the scores were close.
They failed to score points on each occasion and similar decision-making could prove costly against a Scotland side thirsting for revenge after England denied them a place in the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time with a 16-12 win in Auckland in October.
“Would I make those decisions again? Only time will tell,” said Robshaw.
“You have to think just because I made them now, hopefully I can draw on that experience and make the right one in the future.”
AFP
