ENGLAND HAVE NO NEED TO CALL ON CARLING

WILL CARLING did a superb job as England captain in the ’90s when his sides won three Grand Slams and reached a World Cup final. He would have been delighted and honoured to be asked by Eddie Jones to mentor some of the senior players this season on captaincy and leadership. However, I am not really convinced by Jones’ reason for the appointment. It seems to be just another distraction at a time when the team need to get back to the basics. First, I do not think there is a leadership issue with England. Dylan Hartley has an 87 per cent win rate in 27 starts as England captain — and Jones can also call on other experienced operators and leaders — you do not win that many Test matches and have a problem with leadership. If you want to improve the leadership of this team then leave Hartley on for the full game and stop taking him off in the last 30 minutes. Second, identifying, picking and mentoring your captain and leaders is always a key component of the head coach’s job. The buck stops with the coach. That bond between coach and senior players is fundamental. One of the reasons quoted for the appointment is that New Zealand have adopted a similar strategy. But for me, northern teams have to stop thinking they must slavishly replicate everything our southern rivals do.