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.

Frank Hadden, the coach of the Scottish rugby union team, has surprisingly named a pair of uncapped players in the squad for the upcoming autumn Tests. Geoff Cross, who is a prop for Edinburgh, and Max Evans, who is a back for the Glasgow Warriors, have been included in the 31-man squad.

A further surprise came in the form of flanker, Scott Gray, who has only one cap, earned against Australia several years ago. Gray has impressed at openside during several of Northampton’s matches and this has not gone unnoticed by Frank Hadden, who believes that the player has “put in some great shifts”. Cross and Evans are both 25 years of age and have impressed at club level this season.

The Scottish national team is set to face New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada next month and the matches are particularly important in the light of the draw for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. They will face New Zealand on the 8th of November, South Africa a week later, and Canada on the 22nd of November.

The coach has spoken about the importance of healthy competition for a place in the first team and believes that the inclusion of Cross and Evans can only be beneficial for the side. The large squad will now meet at a Spanish warm-weather training camp next week.

Unfortunately, the training facilities at Murrayfield are currently being renovated, making them unsuitable for use.

Other players named in the squad include Mike Blair and Ben Cairns (who both play for Edinburgh), Rory Lamont, who has been in impressive form for the Sale Sharks, and Rory Lawson, who plays for Gloucester.

Isn't it time Shaun Edwards just took the slow train to Cardiff and didn't come back? Rugby is not like football, where managers come and go like English summers, but as he cannot seem to instill any leadership (let alone the ability to catch a rugby ball) then surely he should resign. After two victories all season, Wasps fans deserve at least a coach who has his heart in the team!

Scott MacLeod, the Scottish rugby union forward, has been suspended after a urine sample he provided was found to contain a higher than allowable level of testosterone.

The 29 year-old will now be unable to play or train with the national team and his club, the Scarlets, will also have to do without his services. MacLeod believes that he is innocent and has stated that his ‘B’ sample should now be tested.

A spokesman for the Scottish Rugby Union has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into the possible offence as part of their anti-doping regulatory process.

It is currently unclear how long this investigation will take but the suspension is a real blow for the Scottish player. The Scarlets dropped him from their team before Saturday’s match in the Heineken Cup, which they went on to lose.

It is now thought that he will miss the club’s final match at Stradey Park, scheduled for Friday night against Bristol in the EDF Energy Cup.

The club’s chief executive, Stuart Gallacher, released a statement about the situation, which confirmed that “Scott MacLeod will not be playing or training with the Scarlets until the matter has been resolved”.

Gallacher expressed his hope that the matter will be concluded as quickly as possible and revealed that the club will co-operate fully with both the player and the Scottish Rugby Union.

Scott MacLeod has won 21 caps for his country and was a key part of the national team that competed in last season’s RBS Six Nations championship. Concerns have now been raised over the potential impact of the doping investigation upon his participation in Scotland’s Test series, due to start on the 8th of November against New Zealand.

The following matches will see the national team compete against South Africa and Canada and the forward will be sorely missed if he is forced to sit the matches out.

MacLeod was involved in another controversial situation in February of this year, after he failed a doping test carried out during a training session with the national team. However, MacLeod was cleared after it became apparent that he had taken medication for asthma without official permission.

The player had been given a therapeutic use exemption for one specific type of asthma medication but did not notify the authorities when his prescription changed. After his original medication ran out, he started to take Terbutaline, which is on the World Anti-Doping Code Prohibited list.

Rugby players, and other sportsmen and women, are therefore unable to use the medication unless they are granted a therapeutic use exemption.

MacLeod was lucky to escape a one-year ban for this mistake and, at the time, he spoke of his relief at the leniency shown towards him: “I’m pleased that the panel accepted that I’d used Terbutaline inadvertently […] I’m just glad it’s over”.

The Scarlets' lock also stated that he would never make a similar mistake again so it will be interesting to view the outcome of the Scottish Rugby Union’s investigation.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Just read that Jonny Wilkinson is injured yet again and will miss the whole of the six-nations tournament. Isn't it time we just let him retire and enjoy the fruits of his hard work from 2003?