Moody tips Borthwick to make international return

Moody expects Borthwick to make a return (GETTY IMAGES)

Lewis Moody has backed deposed England captain Steve Borthwick to make an international return.

Borthwick, who led England for the first 20 Tests of Martin Johnson's regime, was dropped from the senior 32-man squad after a knee injury forced him to miss the summer tour of Australia.

Moody took over the leadership reins and became only the second England captain, after Johnson in 2003, to lead his country to a victory over the Wallabies on Australian soil.

Johnson admitted dropping Borthwick for Gloucester's hard-edged lock Dave Attwood was the toughest call of his managerial regime and he insisted the door was not closed on the Saracens lock.

Moody said: "I am sure he will be back in the England squad and pushing for a place and if not the captaincy, then just being back involved.

"He is an incredibly good player with a strong character. This time last year I was in the Saxons squad and a lot can happen in a year as I am testament to."

Johnson has not committed to naming Moody - or anyone - as his long term captain because he said competition for places is too strong.

The new Bath flanker was inspirational as England drew the Test series Down Under with a dramatic 21-20 victory over the Wallabies in Sydney.

Moody is confident he has the credentials to continue as England captain to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Asked whether he had proven himself in the role, Moody said: "Yeah, I feel I can do it.

"I absolutely loved the job on the summer tour. It was a new experience doing it for that period of time, through the rollercoaster of losing the first Test and winning the second Test, which was incredible.

"It was certainly an experience for me, taking on all that pressure and responsibility for the team over a few weeks. If you are asked to be captain, perhaps that's the way it should be.

"I feel very honoured and privileged that I was given that task - in the summer and for the France game - that I could do it and that we could take a win in Australia for only the third time.

"It gave me a lot of confidence that I can do it. So if I was asked to do it again I would jump at the chance.

"It is the way Johnno operates and rightly so. I can't second-guess what he is going to do - he will make a decision about it when he needs to.

"You need to be performing. The guys picked in the team need to be the best players and there are genuinely a raft of guys in the squad who can do that job."