Woodward's New World order

13 April 2012

Lawrence Dallaglio required just one full Premiership match to muscle his way back into the England squad and four minutes to score his first try for 12 months.

Given that sort of rapid response time, it was hardly surprising that half an hour as a substitute in Rome on Sunday should be followed by confirmation yesterday of his reappointment as captain for England's next Test, as revealed by Sportsmail last month.

Dallaglio will lead England against Argentina in Buenos Aires in June. His promotion signals his emergence as a genuine candidate for a return to the job on a permanent basis, in time to take charge of another World Cup crusade, in Australia in October of next year.

Martin Johnson and Neil Back being among the seven English Lions ordered to put their feet up this summer, the trip to Argentina will mark Dallaglio's restoration to the job for the first time since the first of three successive Grand Slam hiccups, against Wales at Wembley three years ago. The mess which Scott Gibbs made of that occasion with the last try of the old Five Nations was nothing compared to the one Dallaglio found himself immersed in over subsequent drug accusations.

Having surrendered the captaincy to clear his name, the 29 -year-old Londoner has reclaimed his place among the hierarchy, a process which made the more recent rebuilding of his right knee appear almost trivial by comparison. His return may be for one match only, but the way the armband has changed of late suggests anything might happen.

'Lawrence has come through very strongly,' said England manager Clive Woodward. 'I saw what his leadership could do for Wasps against Leicester. I have no issues about picking him with Martin not available. If I thought Lawrence was a better captain than Martin, I'd change but Johnno has done a brilliant job. Lawrence had been outstanding as captain before then until he got into some difficulty.' Who knows, Dallaglio could be the one to wear the captain's armband at the next World Cup, just as he wore it at the last one. Injury having taken a large chunk out of his season, he has come back with greater desire, strength and hunger.

Johnson's status as the most automatic of Test captains changed last week with his puzzling demotion to the bench and, while he still finished up leading England in Italy as a substitute, his future as captain is no longer clear cut.

'I could see that he was angry at being left out but I made the decision for genuine reasons,' said Woodward at the end of another unfulfilled Six Nations campaign. 'I wasn't trying to be smart with Johnson. He conducted himself impeccably.'

As England switch more into World Cup mode, the captaincy job is likely to keep revolving with the main contenders concerned enough about their own positions, never mind the leadership.

Back, given the honour in Rome strictly on merit and not because it happened to be his 50th cap, will channel all his energy into making sure he lasts until the World Cup, a hazardous journey at the best of times but doubly so given Lewis Moody's rise to prominence.

Woodward's planning makes provision for Jonny Wilkinson to be sitting out some of the 14 Tests scheduled prior to the World Cup. England will pick Charlie Hodgson at stand off for more than the Buenos Aires Test. Like it or not, Wilkinson will have to do his time on the bench like everyone else.

The country's most valuable player can expect to play second fiddle to Hodgson during the less demanding Six Nations contests next year, at least three of which could be reclassified in the mis-match category judging by recent results.

Eight of England's matches ahead of the World Cup are against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Grand Slam champions France. With Wilkinson surely required for the tougher assignments, that leaves Wales, Scotland and Italy as three opportunities for Hodgson to show he is more than a bit-part player.

Far from intending any snub, Woodward is merely getting his priorities right, taking a pragmatic approach towards giving Sale's 21-year-old Yorkshireman some Test experience before the World Cup.

Since Hodgson orchestrated the meaningless obliteration of Romania at Twickenham on his debut five months ago, his England action has amounted to 14 minutes. Argentina, therefore, will be his first acid Test.

'We will learn a lot about him there in a hostile environment,' said Woodward. 'We have two world-class No.10s and we have to give them matches. It would be wrong for Jonny to play the next 14 Tests. We might have a problem if he then got injured for the World Cup. Jonny is still the main man but he has never taken anything for granted. It doesn't matter who the players are. They cannot assume they are going to be in the starting line-up.'

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