Steve Borthwick has been named England captain for the team’s autumn internationals. The Saracens lock, who is 29 years of age, was appointed by England manager Martin Johnson.

Borthwick led the national side during the New Zealand summer tour as a result of the absence of previous captain, Phil Vickery. Vickery is no longer one of the first names on the England team sheet, primarily as a result of injuries and the impressive form of Matt Stevens. As such, Johnson would have been somewhat foolish to name the Wasps prop as skipper.

However, the England manager was quick to recognise, and show appreciation for, the influence Vickery has had on the national team. Johnson publicly thanked the prop, who he played alongside during the successful World Cup campaign, for the work he has done with the team during his time as captain and continued to compare Steve Borthwick with the England legend.

Martin Johnson has made a sensible choice in picking Borthwick. He has experience as England captain and was first handed the honour during this year’s Six Nations fixture against Italy. He enjoyed ten successful years at Bath, winning the European Challenge Cup last season, but decided to join Saracens earlier this year.

The director of rugby at the club, Eddie Jones, believes that the player should be captain of the national side as a result of his hard-working, competitive nature. Jones believes that Borthwick is extremely “serious about his rugby” and is therefore a natural team-leader.

Johnson was also eager to point out the qualities of the Saracens player and, most notably, was keen to discuss his leadership skills. He spoke of the thorough preparation and careful planning which the player puts in before every match (at both club and international level) and expressed his excitement at working closely with him in the near future.

Borthwick has not been handed the captaincy for any official fixed period of time. However, the player can rest assured in the knowledge that he has the full backing of his teammates and, of course, his manager. Martin Johnson spoke of his wish to “support him as much as possible” whilst still allowing the player to revel in the high level of responsibility demanded by the role.

Borthwick has already spoken about his excitement at the prospect of leading the national team out at Twickenham and is desperately looking forward to this “special moment” which will undoubtedly be a highlight of his career so far.

However, the player was keen to put the concerns of the team above his own: “My overriding aim is to help England get off to a winning start.” The England rugby team is due to come up against the Pacific Islands on the 8th of November before facing tough tests in the form of matches against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

It will certainly be interesting to see whether the Saracens player can exert his influence successfully and lead his team to victory over the coming weeks.