England head coach Stuart Lancaster said on Tuesday he will wait until later this month before naming a captain for the end-of-year internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.
|Last Updated: Oct 08, 2013, 11:48 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: England head coach Stuart Lancaster said on Tuesday he will wait until later this month before naming a captain for the end-of-year internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.
Flankers Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood are reported to be the front-runners for the role, ahead of the beginning of a training camp in the northern English city of Leeds on October 21.
"We have two big European weekends and I`ve consistently said you must select on form and fitness first. Injuries also play a part," Lancaster said.
"Equally, there`s no need to announce a captain early when it might influence what you`re thinking selection-wise.
"If you name the captain early then you`re pretty much ruling out everybody else playing in that position and I want to keep competition for places high."
Lancaster, whose side open their end-of-year campaign against Australia at Twickenham on November 2, says the importance of the captaincy is inaccurately inflated by the media.
"It`s about having a really strong leadership group, because it`s an outdated model where you have one person who has sole responsibility for everyone," he said.
"All senior players have a role to play in the on-field decision-making. It will be an important announcement, but the most important thing is to have that strength of leadership across the field."
Lancaster will go into the matches without injured centres Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi.
Billy Twelvetrees is expected to take over at number 12, with Jonathan Joseph, Joel Tomkins and Henry Trinder competing for the right to partner him.
"To lose Brad and Manu in the space of a week was disappointing because both of them are high-quality players," Lancaster said.
"They have both been key figures for us and were British and Irish Lions. It`s meant we`ve had to look at other options, which is a good thing in my mind.
"Injuries have created opportunities for people in the past and they`ve taken them."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.