Greenwood hails Wilkinson as leader

WILL GREENWOOD yesterday welcomed Jonny Wilkinson’s appointment as England captain and predicted the Newcastle fly-half would emulate Martin Johnson’s uncompromising style of leadership.

Wilkinson was unveiled as Lawrence Dallaglio’s successor by England caretaker coach Andy Robinson on Monday and will take charge for the autumn internationals against Canada, Australia and South Africa.

The 25-year-old faces an enormous challenge if he is to restore English fortunes following a dramatic post-World Cup slump and will be aiming to conclude a run of four successive defeats against Canada.

Retirements, loss of form and upheaval have all contributed to the world champions’ decline and a strong leader is needed to help England climb back to the summit of world rugby.

And Greenwood - the Lion who will be gunning for a spot alongside Wilkinson during the November tests - believes the goal-kicking ace is just the man for the job.

“He will be a fantastic captain for England. I don’t think Andy Robinson would have chosen him if he wasn’t suitable,” said the Harlequins centre.

“He has the total support of everyone involved with England, has a tremendous work ethic and is a very clever player.

“He speaks well and is always respectful of the opposition, without ever being fearful of them. I’m very confident he will lead England to successful times on the pitch.”

Greenwood believes Wilkinson’s determination to lead by example - there are few players in the game more willing to put their body on the line than the big-hitting outside-half - places him in the Johnson mould of captain.

“Obviously he won’t have the same physical presence as Martin Johnson when he tosses the coin, so he’ll bring a slightly different angle to the captaincy. But he’ll have the total respect of the opposition,” he said.

“His work rate and enthusiasm are no different to Johno’s. And like Johno, he believes in leading from the front and leading by example, as opposed to inspiring through Winston Churchill-style oratory.”

Wilkinson already shoulders England’s playmaking and kicking duties, causing concern in some quarters that the captaincy may be one responsibility too many for the hero of England’s World Cup win.

But Greenwood insists Wilkinson has already proved he has the tools necessary to cope with his new role and pointed out there will be people around him to share the burden.

“His goalkicking record and performances for England suggest he has the temperament to deal with the pressure. He has very trusty lieutenants around him who have enormous experience, in the forwards and the backs. They will help him,” he said.

Meanwhile, Richard Hill will undergo exploratory surgery to determine his chances of featuring for England in next month’s autumn internationals.

The 31-year-old flanker was carried off in the first-half of Saracens’ Zurich Premiership defeat to London Irish on Sunday after twisting his left knee and could hardly walk the next day, when his injury was assessed by doctors.

The pain has since eased but the decision for Hill to undergo an arthroscopy, which will assess the extent of the damage, followed consultation with a knee specialist yesterday and an MRI scan last night.