Former England captain Lewis Moody believes it would be a “fantastic call” by Eddie Jones if he made Tom Curry skipper for this weekend’s Six Nations opener against Scotland.
Curry is one of the frontrunners to lead England at Murrayfield after Courtney Lawes was on Tuesday ruled out of the Calcutta Cup clash, with the 32-year-old failing to prove his fitness following a concussion.
Lawes had been due to captain the side in the absence of regular skipper Owen Farrell, who will miss the whole Six Nations due to an ankle injury.
Ellis Genge and Luke Cowan-Dickie have emerged as part of the England squad’s leadership group, while Ben Youngs or Maro Itoje have been touted as possible captains too, but Moody is keen for Jones to give Curry the chance to lead the side on Saturday.
“I think it would be a fantastic call, I do. Tom is a brilliant player and he does seem to be a fairly natural leader,” Moody told Standard Sport.
“For me, the captain is about someone firstly and foremost who you want to follow on the field.
“You want to know they are going to give nothing but 100 per cent and be supremely confident, consistent and owning their jersey week in, week out. Tom does that in every game that he plays.
“He is just outstanding. He is a nice guy, he’s a down-to-earth bloke and it feels like he’s got a fairly level head on his very young shoulders.
“He is a natural player, he feels like a natural leader just because of the way he goes out and performs, and the consistency with which he delivers and what he demands of his players. I think it would be a great choice.”
Some have raised concerns about Curry being named captain given he is only 23, but Moody believes the flanker’s age actually makes him an even better candidate to lead.
The former England captain has highlighted Richie McCaw getting the chance to lead New Zealand when he was the same age, with the flanker later going on to have a glittering career as All Blacks skipper.
“I think captains need time to grow into their role,” said Moody, who is a Land Rover ambassador.
“You listen to Richie McCaw talk about his experience in 2007, when he was given the captaincy, and New Zealand lost to France in the quarter-final.
“He said that was the greatest learning curve of his entire career as a captain, because he had all these senior players around him and he went away and realised that the culture was wrong, as captain he was doing things wrong, and things needed to change.
“He had a four-year window to learn and build as a captain. I think being given it at an early stage in your career gives you time to learn and develop those skills.
“You are not just naturally a great captain, whatever age you get it you have to learn on the job.”
England’s fitness issues, which worsened on Tuesday when lock Jonny Hill joined Lawes in being ruled out of the Scotland game, have summed up their disrupted preparation for the Six Nations.
A fire at the team’s hotel in Brighton last week also forced the squad to evacuate and spend a night elsewhere.
But Moody said: “I think being able to adapt is a key part of being a professional athlete these days.
“You see it with the Olympians and all the challenges they have around funding, getting to competitions on time and Covid. Things can just be constantly changing.”
LEWIS MOODY is a Land Rover ambassador. Visit landrover.co.uk
