Lawrence Dallaglio's message to England head coach Eddie Jones: Pick the team before the captain

Lawrence Dallaglio today urged England’s new head coach Eddie Jones not to make the same error over the captaincy that painted Stuart Lancaster into a corner during his tenure.

Lancaster made Chris Robshaw his captain for his first match in charge in 2012 and stuck by that decision throughout his near four-year reign, thereby ensuring the No7 jersey was no longer a selection issue.

Robshaw led the team in all but one of his 43 caps — putting him second in the England all-time list behind Will Carling (59) — and remains the leading contender for the job, even though Jones used his role as a newspaper columnist during the World Cup to question the Harlequins man’s ability to play openside flanker at Test level. However, following his appointment by the RFU, Jones has backtracked on those comments and will hold a face-to-face meeting with Robshaw shortly.

Now, as Jones starts putting together his first Elite Player Squad that will provide the men to face Scotland in the Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on February 6, Dallaglio wants the former Australia and Japan coach to revert to the tried-and-tested formula of choosing the skipper.

Dallaglio, a Land Rover ambassador, said: “There are a lot of back-row options for Eddie Jones and there will be no guarantees for any player.

“Where I stand on Chris Robshaw is that you pick your squad first, then your team and then the captain. You do not pick your captain first, then the squad. Clive Woodward was clear on that. There are number of people who have done the England [captain’s] job and others who could potentially do it. I would not have done what Stuart Lancaster did with the captaincy.”

Former England and Wasps captain Dallaglio certainly expects those involved in the World Cup debacle to lift their game to impress the new man.

“The first Eddie Jones squad comes against the backdrop of England’s disappointing World Cup and you know there will be different selections,” he said. “What it means is that players who have previously represented England have to go out and prove their credentials all over again — and on the back of the Cup outings, a lot of them will want to prove that is not a true reflection of their ability.

“For those who weren’t picked or have not played for England yet, they have an opportunity to be part of Eddie Jones’s squad.

“When I was a player, the first six or seven weeks of the season was about putting it all out there and saying to the national coach, ‘This is what I am capable of’. While the first couple of weeks of this Premiership season wasn’t particularly exciting, the switch to European matches has seen the game come alive.”

Dallaglio believes this improved club form will ensure Jones has even more quality players to choose from, with Wasps centre Elliot Daly pushing for a place in the squad.

“Selection is difficult, it comes down to opinions,” he said. “Elliot is an old head on young shoulders and for some reason he was released by England, even though he was the ideal replacement if Jonathan Joseph was injured (he was). Elliot looks like an international player. In June, Wasps No8 Nathan Hughes qualifies for England and he is developing all the time.”

Lawrence Dallaglio is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover continues its ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign through Premiership Rugby. Follow @LandRover_UK #WeDealInReal