"No decisions made" - Three Alternative England Captains for the 2023 Rugby World Cup

Farrell is expected to retain the role for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, but the arduous tournament can soon take it's toll, with unexpected injuries possible in every game.

Look no further than Dan Carter's 2011 training injury, to see that there is no guarantee for rugby's biggest stars to shine in every match. Borthwick must have had to think about who his back-up captains will be, if Owen Farrell is injured or underperforming. Here are the next three in line, to take over the captaincy at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Ellis Genge has established himself to be the first reserve to the England captaincy, if Owen Farrell is injured or dropped to the bench. The 'Baby Rhino' got his first opportunity to lead his country during the 2023 Guinness Six Nations, however the match will be forever remembered in England rugby infamy. The 53-10 loss to France set a record defeat for England at Twickenham, yet Genge honourably stepped up and faced the media after the final whistle.

Genge has matured into a true leader, and has grown exponentially throughout his career. He has formed a high quality 'club and country' allegiance with Kyle Sinckler, and has helped his Bristol Bears teammate to keep a cool head in heated front-row battles. Genge was one of England's best players of the 2023 Six Nations, and lead the gain-line breaking charts in the first three rounds of the competition.

Genge will undoubtedly be an integral part of England's 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, and could well be called upon by Borthwick to lead his side out. There are in no way any 'guaranteed wins' during a Rugby World Cup, but England have been gifted a Pool stage where they are considerable favourites to finish in the top two.

England take on their most significant threat of Argentina first, with Farrell expected to lead the line against Los Pumas. Yet Genge could well take up the 'invisible armband' against Chile, with the Saracens fly half rewarded with a well-earnt rest.

2. George Ford

The Sale Sharks fly half is aging like a fine wine. At 30-years-old Ford is playing some of the best rugby of his career, and looks to be a genuine contender to start at fly half for England in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Making a full recovery from his Achilles injury, that ended his Leicester Tigers career early in the 2022 Premiership Final, Ford has been excelling with Sale, and this weekend he will lead the Sharks to their first Premiership Final since 2006.

Ford lines-up against Owen Farrell in the Premiership Final, in what is the spotlighted showdown of the match at Twickenham Stadium. Steve Borthwick waisted no time in calling Ford into the Six Nations training group, following his long-overdue return from injury last February.

He was omitted into the fly half selection saga, throwing his hat in the ring with Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith to be Borthwick's number 10. Ford failed to get onto the pitch in the 2023 Six Nations, yet the upcoming Rugby World Cup could well see Ford play his first game for England in the Steve Borthwick era. Borthwick's familiarity with Ford certainly helps this cause, as Ford was on occasion entrusted with Leicester Tigers captaincy, whilst Borthwick was the Director of Rugby at Welford Road.

Ford can take the captaincy off Farrell in three different ways. He could out-right prove himself to be the superior fly half to lead from kick-off, with Borthwick dropping Farrell to the bench. Or the tried-and-tested Ford-Farrell partnership may make a return from the Eddie Jones era, seeing the Saracen shift across to inside centre. Or third, Ford may be entrusted to take over the reigns with a substitute appearance, to give Farrell a rest in the latter stages of a match.

Northampton Saints stalwart Courtney Lawes has been amongst the England captaincy discussion since 2021. The 34-year-old led Eddie Jones' squad out for the first time in an Autumn International match against Tonga. Like George Ford, Lawes was side-lined throughout the 2023 Six Nations, after suffering a calf injury against La Rochelle back in January.

The back row forward made his long-awaited return to the Saints in April, to take on Saracens and in turn helped his side qualify for the Premiership play-offs. Lawes' previous experience as England captain will be valued amongst England's leadership group, as the marathon of a Rugby World Cup can impact a squad's on-field focus.

Also, the recent untimely injury to Ben Curry calls for an additional confident voice amongst England's locks and back-row. The Sale Sharks captain will miss the 2023 Premiership Final and subsequent Rugby World Cup, after suffering a crocodile-roll induced hamstring injury, in the play-off semi-final against Leicester Tigers.

Ben's twin brother Tom Curry has previously captained England, yet this was in Lawes' absence during the 2022 Six Nations. Lawes was then the preferred captain over Owen Farrell, in the tail end of the Eddie Jones era. The now Wallabies Head Coach selected Lawes as tour captain, for England's successful 2022 Summer series win over Australia.

The three-time Six Nations winner is an excellent option for the captaincy, and will be looking for his first England cap under Steve Borthwick. Lawes' X-Factor is his ability to excel in the locks or across the back-row, giving Borthwick plentiful options, if the upcoming Rugby World Cup campaign takes it's toll with injuries.