OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
Whoever is next in line as England head coach, whether it's Steve Borthwick or Scott Robertson, should change the captain.
The reason is that what was there before wasn't working, it was decaying, and that culture needs to be changed. The best way to do that is to wipe the slate clean, because there has to be a new culture.
Almost every new England coach I had in my time as an international player – and that included Geoff Cooke/Roger Uttley, Dick Best, Jack Rowell, and Clive Woodward – changed the captain when they came in. Among the captains they picked were Will Carling, Phil de Glanville, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Martin Johnson.
This means that if Borthwick is the new head coach he cannot go back to keeping Owen Farrell as captain, even though he knows Owen from when he worked as an assistant coach alongside Eddie Jones. This is because Farrell was at the heart of the culture of that team, and Borthwick cannot afford for it to remain the same.
Of the 23 players picked to represent England any new captain should be fairly obvious as one of the first names on the list. Borthwick will also be conscious that he was chosen as England captain by Martin Johnson, and that it has been seen as one of the biggest errors he made. I'm a huge fan of Johnno's knowledge and leadership, but that was a mistake because Borthwick was under constant pressure to keep his place.
The challenge with England is that there have been very few stand-out players over the last two years. At Leicester it did not take long for Borthwick to make Ellis Genge captain, but that would be more difficult at international level because he has to be sure of his place at loose-head.
The captaincy is a big call because everyone in recent England squads appears to see Farrell as the leader, and the shortage of options seems to reflect the state of English rugby at the moment.
You could make a case for bringing back Courtney Lawes for the Six Nations on an interim basis, or possibly Maro Itoje or Tom Curry if they were at their best. Alex Dombrandt might be an outside captaincy candidate if he gets a good run at No.8, and Freddie Steward is as sure of his place as anyone, although you really need a forward as captain, rather than a young full-back.
It could be someone we are not anticipating who could take you through to the 2027 World Cup, but at the moment nothing is set in stone. That's why the best policy that the new head coach could adopt is to name an interim captain and see who stands out during the coming Six Nations campaign.
You find your man when they rise to the occasion. It is what a player does on the field that says everything about their captaincy qualities. You listen to the player who talks it, but the person who does it, you follow.
The new head coach has to be allowed to bring his own coaching team, and only retain existing staff if it is his choice, otherwise it is not a true change. I cannot see how there can be any continuity in terms of assistant coaches because under Eddie Jones it wasn't working.
In the last two seasons we have seen zero improvement in England's attack since Martin Gleeson arrived, apart from the 10 minutes against New Zealand and a few small flashes elsewhere. We've also seen no improvement in the scrum under Matt Proudfoot, and no sign of the power and cohesion required at Test level. In business if a new CEO comes in the senior management changes, and I see no difference with England.
At international level strong defence should be a given, but that has not always been the case.
There may be a temptation for the new coach to go to Saracens for an inner sanctum in the same way Jones did, especially as they are again a long way clear at the top of the Premiership table. However, the bums-on-seats factor in international rugby is attacking play, and England need to produce quick ball by having powerful, skilful carriers – so let's discover them.
At international level the intensity is higher, the game is faster, but for top Premiership players it is not a huge gap. It is about finding players who can rise to that level without the comfort blanket of playing for a leading club side.
I've said before that England need to develop big, rangy, powerful carrying forwards, and Leicester's Ollie Chessum might fit the bill. There has also been a lot of commentary about Ben Earl being ignored by Jones, but my yardstick for a back row forward is whether they have the same impact for England that someone like Dalton Papali'i has for New Zealand.
Players should be gagging to get into the England squad – but under Eddie Jones there was no excitement among the players going into camp. Instead, they were often mentally drained by the time they left, rather than buzzing and wanting to play.
The attitude towards the Autumn internationals should be to go for broke and find out how good you are without fear of losing. That is what Woodward did in 1997 when he said go all out to win, and in the game we drew with New Zealand that year you would not have seen England kick the ball out as they did against the same opposition a few weeks ago.
The Autumn should be about shaking off the shackles and being uninhibited whoever you are playing – just going out and playing as if it is your last game, and giving it your all.
The prizes in the Autumn are winning new fans, gaining a bigger TV audience, getting everyone on their feet. There is no trophy at stake, so leave it all out there. The Six Nations is different. It is a tournament, points are at stake, and you are playing to win it.
The new head coach will have seen what Henry Arundell can do and elsewhere in the backline he has other inexperienced talents like Adam Radwan and Jack van Poortvliet to hand, alongside a seasoned pro like Henry Slade. He should pick on form to win the next game, not focus on a World Cup four years away. That takes care of itself if you get your day-to-day right.
I walked away from the South Africa loss not looking forward to England's next game, but now I am. The only thing I do not want to see is an interim coach without the next permanent coach being named, and a starting date given. I don't want to see a limbo of any sort. It should be onwards and upwards. I'm excited by the prospect of a new coach, and the buzz, anticipation, and excitement in the air at Twickenham when England play Scotland at the start of the Six Nations.
