SO WHO IS YOUR SKIPPER, EDDIE?

Erm, all three of them as Jones unveils new multi-captaincy model

ENGLAND will seek to divide and conquer tomorrow with a multi-captain model which they may consider using at the World Cup.

Eddie Jones was at pains to emphasise that Dylan Hartley remains his first-choice skipper and is destined to lead the team into the Six Nations as another step towards retaining the role through to Japan in 2019.

However, the head coach has appointed Chris Robshaw and George Ford as co-captains in the last autumn fixture against Samoa at Twickenham, with Hartley due to take over once he comes off the bench.

‘Dylan is our captain and he has done a great job, but we have decided to start with Jamie George for this game,’ said Jones.

‘It’s a great opportunity to develop the leadership of the side and those two guys (Ford and Robshaw) did a great job for us against the Barbarians.

‘It’s a good fit; a good, even spread of responsibility between Chris and George. It just works well for us in this game. I’d be happy to do it again if I think it is right for the team.’

England could deploy co-captains at the World Cup. ‘Why not?’ said Jones. ‘You could have three captains. I’ve had a team that’s had four vice-captains. There’s nothing that says you have to have one captain.’

Theoretically, only captains are permitted to engage in dialogue with the referee during matches but Jones dismissed any suggestion that England would require permission from World Rugby to operate with more than one skipper. He was relaxed about how the shared leadership approach would work when it comes to Ford and Robshaw conferring over significant decisions.

The pair are due to discuss such issues today and the head coach said: ‘They’ll work it out. They’re smart boys.’

Ford is taking charge of the backs and attack, while Robshaw’s focus will be on the pack and defence. Jones confirmed that Hartley would be skipper if he replaces George and added: ‘In football, they have those things they throw around (armband). We’re going to get one of those!’

In the past, Jones has raised concerns about a lack of leadership depth within his squad but he believes that strides have been made in that regard.

‘We are moving slowly towards a more positive state,’ he said. ‘We’re still lacking the density that we need in terms of numbers, but we’re making progress. Is that progress satisfactory? Yeah, it probably is.

‘Leadership is a combination of skills and personnel. You have to have the right balance. When Dylan is captain, we have Owen (Farrell), we have Robbo and we have George supporting him, which is a great fit for us.

‘Dylan isn’t starting this week, so we’re sharing it between Chris and George, with support from other guys — Maro (Itoje), Jamie George, Elliot Daly and Joe Launchbury. It’s another option and we want to have different options in terms of leadership.’

George’s selection is a triumph of personal perseverance. The hooker was a fixture in Warren Gatland’s Lions Test team in the summer, but he has set a world record for international appearances as a replacement before claiming a starting place for England. Jones has urged him to play his own game but added: ‘It is a completely different role as the starting hooker. You have to get the scrum right, you have to work out what the referee is doing. You haven’t had the chance to watch the game for 40 or 50 minutes. It’s the same with the lineout — you have got to get it right early.

‘Like anyone else, Dylan is under pressure to perform and Jamie has got an opportunity this week, but Dylan is a fantastic captain and at this stage there is no reason why he won’t be captain for the Six Nations. He is still captain of the side. It just so happens that he is going to finish the game for us.’

Along with George, there are other understudies who will be aiming to boost their standing with the coaches tomorrow. Alex Lozowski and Henry Slade will reprise the midfield alliance which served England so well in Argentina in June, while lock Charlie Ewels and Sam Simmonds can announce themselves on the big stage when they line up in the rejigged pack.

But Jones sought ‘balance’ in his selection, which is why he chose to recall Mike Brown at full-back and retain Dan Cole at tighthead prop, rather than promote Harry Williams from the bench.

Meanwhile, Samoa captain Chris Vui has accepted the decision of England’s stars not to donate a portion of their £23,000 match fee to the Pacific Islanders by insisting it is not their battle to fight.

The possibility of giving a small sum ahead of tomorrow’s climax to the autumn Test series at Twickenham, as suggested by Mako Vunipola, was discussed by Hartley and his senior lieutenants before being deemed unethical and politically complex.

Samoa pay their players a match fee of only £650 and their union has declared itself bankrupt — a fact which has been disputed by World Rugby — but Vui says his team are not interested in charity.

‘It’s important we don’t get that because we are here to play rugby. We don’t want the likes of Dan Cole to have to help,’ said Vui. ‘I think England care, but we are solely here to play rugby. It’s not their problem. It’s not their fault.

‘They get a good pay package and that’s a reward for England’s rugby players. We play rugby and we are two completely different organisations. There is a big gap but, hopefully, that gap between pay packets will even out in the future.’