They say it takes one to know one so when former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio praises current occupant Chris Robshaw it suggests he is the right man for the job.
Robshaw, man of the match for England in Sunday’s 12-6 win over Ireland in Dublin, was a surprise choice when he was unveiled as England captain just over a year ago.
But 13 months on the 26-year-old, in pole position to captain the British & Irish Lions this summer, has led his side to a historic 38-21 win over the All Blacks and a perfect start to this year’s Six Nations
championship.
And while a first Red Rose Grand Slam since 2003 might still be a little way off, World Cup winner Dallaglio believes Robshaw is proving just why Lancaster put so much faith in him.
“Chris is one of those players who statistically is always up there at the top,” said Dallaglio at the first Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change awards at Twickenham.
“This is why he was chosen as captain because he leads by example in how he holds himself on the pitch and what he does on the pitch.
“That was evident to see in Ireland because he was the top tackler at the end of the game and if you want to talk about an England captain leading by example then you can’t ask for anything more than that.
“Top performer on the field, man of the match away in Dublin – there are not many England captains who have done that and that should
not be underestimated.
“I have said all along that I fancy he would make an outstanding Lions captain and his performance against Ireland shows his credentials are continuing to stack up.”
* Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change uses the sport and its core values to empower individuals to make positive choices, for more information dallagliofoundation.com.
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