Robinson backs captain Corry

ENGLAND boss Andy Robinson has rejected any notion that captain Martin Corry could be undermined by having been substituted twice during this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Corry made way for Lawrence Dallaglio against Wales and Scotland, and such a scenario could again unfold in France on Sunday.

While Corry is retained as number eight and captain, Dallaglio must once more kick his heels on the bench - knowing there is every chance he will be involved at some stage, replacing Corry, Joe Worsley or Lewis Moody.

Robinson has come under fire from many pundits for taking Corry off, but the head coach insists it has been for the greater good of the team.

“There are no preconceived ideas,” said Robinson, who has made two changes for the Paris trip - recalling 33-year-old World Cup-winner Matt Dawson at scrum-half and replacing Andrew Sheridan with fit-again Bath prop Matt Stevens.

“Against Scotland, we were losing 12-9 - and with the impact I felt Lawrence had given in the previous two games, that was the decision I had to make. “I wasn’t trying to undermine Martin’s leadership in any shape or form.

“I felt for 65 minutes he performed well.

“But we were 12-9 down, and decisions have got to be made. I felt it was right to make that decision at that time in that game.

“Martin is the captain - he is a very strong captain - and those decisions have got to be made during games.”

Dawson makes his first Six Nations start since England were beaten by Wales in Cardiff last year - while Stevens is to start in his more favoured position of loose head, having made his recovery from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him from the Edinburgh mission. Leicester’s Julian White is retained as a rock-solid tight head scrummager.

“Harry Ellis has performed really well for the team, but I was targeting Matt (Dawson) to be involved in a starting position for the French game,” said Robinson.

“This is really horses for courses for this game. Matt’s greater experience, his ability to control the forwards - which I think is slightly better than Harry’s at present because of his experience - meant I felt it was the right choice.

If England are to thwart the French they will need to be far more clinical in taking their chances than they were against Scotland.

France have blown hot and cold during this season’s tournament. But recent history suggests they get it right when England arrive in the French capital, and the world champions will travel as clear underdogs.

“We have got to be in their faces and stop them playing,” said Robinson.

“Tactically, we have got to be very astute and we have got to squeeze the life out of the French - stop the band playing and hear the crowd whistling, getting on their backs.

“The sooner we hear that then we know the team will be winning.”