England coach: Arrival of Eddie Jones may signal end of Chris Robshaw captaincy

Quins man ‘starts from zero’ under new England coach

New England coach Eddie Jones (Getty)

Chris Robshaw’s captaincy of the England team is not yet officially at an end, but the Harlequins flanker will have to “start from zero” in proving himself worthy of a red-rose place against Scotland in February – the first game of the 2016 Six Nations. Eddie Jones, the new head coach, made it clear yesterday that back-row places, including Robshaw’s, were very much up for grabs.

Jones does not intend to fly in the face of custom and practice by selecting from abroad, so the loose forward Steffon Armitage, currently playing in France and a cause célèbre among disaffected England supporters, has no immediate hope of a recall. But equally, the coach is making no promises to those who participated in the failed World Cup campaign – least of all to Robshaw, a player of whom he has been openly critical.

Questioned on his publicly aired view that the captain is not a natural open-side operator, Jones looked suitably uncomfortable. “I was a newspaper columnist at that point, not coach of England... I was being a bit naughty,” he replied. “I have to sit down with Chris and chat to him.” Would Robshaw require gentle handling? “He’s got a nice cafe in Winchester and it serves the best coffee in England. I might grab him for a coffee down there. Now, that would be sensitive.”

Chris Robshaw, right, with ex-England coach Stuart Lancaster (Getty)

The new man went on to say that his choice of captain would have to be one of the first names on the team sheet and embody the values instilled in the squad. “Every time players look at him,” Jones said, “they have to know he’s leading the way. All those stories about Richie McCaw in New Zealand were true. He was the one who sprinted to the next training drill, who cleaned out the changing room. That’s the sort of guy you want.”