Sir Clive Woodward has called for England head coach Eddie Jones to name Ellis Genge as captain for their Six Nations opener against Scotland.
The former boss was revealing his thoughts on the latest squad, which he was full of praise of.
“For the first time since England and I parted company, I must confess to being a little bit envious,” wrote the 2003 World Cup winner in his column for the Mail Online.
“If England get it right they won’t just be getting the Twickenham faithful on their feet going nuts but the whole rugby world will be on their feet, too.
“The most significant stat I saw out there when this squad was announced is that 10 of the England matchday 23 that lost pretty tamely to Ireland in England’s last Six Nations game are gone — in many cases I suspect, permanently. That really is an admission of just how badly England got things wrong 12 months ago.
“If Farrell is not ready, Jones must not hesitate in letting Ellis Genge captain the team. He is doing it so well week in, week out at Leicester and then bring in either Mark Atkinson or perhaps even the fast-improving Luke Northmore — who strikes me as a player who has something of a golden touch — into the centre. Things happen when Northmore’s involved at Harlequins.”
England Six Nations 2022 Fixtures
- Saturday 5 February: Scotland v England (16:45)
- Sunday 13 February: Italy v England (15:00)
- Saturday 26 February: England v Wales (16:45)
- Saturday 12 March: England v Ireland (16:45)
- Saturday 19 March: France v England (20:00)
Sir Clive Woodward’s England XV for the 2022 Six Nations with new captain
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
- 14. Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish)
- 11. Max Malins (Saracens)
CENTRES:
- 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
- 12. Luke Northmore (Harlequins)
