SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Why Maro Itoje is the perfect England captain – and how he could be the next Martin Johnson or Lawrence Dallaglio leading us to Six Nations glory

Well done Steve Borthwick. The England coach has come in for a lot of criticism and stripping a player of the captaincy is difficult to carry out, especially if he or she is still in the squad. But selecting Maro Itoje as Jamie George’s captain is absolutely the right decision.

I think I was the only one calling for this change, but I just think it’s a really positive call that English rugby needed, especially with all the nonsense that’s been happening lately.

I have nothing against Jamie. I want to make that very clear. He is a very good player and this decision is difficult for him.

But England have a good record of losing games in recent minutes and I think the biggest reason for that has been that we keep taking our captain off the pitch with 20 minutes to go. You need your captain at the finish, because that’s when a match is won and lost.

When it comes to selecting a captain, the first point is that he must start and finish a match. The second is that they must be the first name on the team sheet. Thirdly, they must captain their club as this role is an art and it is absolutely crucial to do this week in and week out.

If those are your criteria and you look at the England squad, making Maro Itoje the new captain is a no-brainer and should have been done a long time ago. He immediately ticks all the boxes.

Itoje is now a senior professional with the respect of his teammates, and Steve Borthwick made the right choice in choosing him as captain ahead of Jamie George.

Itoje could be the next Martin Johnson (left) and Lawrence Dallaglio (right) who starred in England’s 2003 World Cup triumph

Like Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, I don’t remember Maro being eliminated. For me he is the first name on the England team sheet and at his best he is our only truly outstanding player. And he is Saracens’ captain week in, week out.

You also have to ask yourself: Is he a man who will appear on the front pages or the back pages?

Well, Maro will be on the back pages because he is absolutely dedicated to his sport. He has the full respect of his teammates and fully deserves it, having won 88 caps. Congratulations to him.

The most important thing Maro has to do as captain is to be an excellent player on the field. He should be the man of the match, not because of his captaincy, but because of the way he plays the game.

That’s what I always loved about Johnson and Dallaglio. They never forgot that the best way to lead your team is by example. You can make decisions, but you have to be in your very best shape.

I expect to see a very excited Itoje against Ireland now that he is the captain. He has a real chance to turn this England team around. Now that we have chosen the right captain, we have a real chance of beating Ireland.

Overall, I think Steve has selected a very strong squad and I am pleased with some of the other changes he has made.

Dan Cole has been a fantastic player for England but he is now 37 and there comes a stage where you have to recognize that someone’s time is up. I’m not sure he’s the best player in his position any longer, but he gets a huge pat on the back from everyone who loves the England team.

I am pleased with the other changes Borthwick has made to his squad after a disappointing run of results in the Autumn Internationals

I now want Borthwick to pick an exciting team that can play at a faster pace than in recent years

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I’m also happy that Tom Willis has been selected, but the only disappointing thing for me is that Henry Pollock is not in the squad, which is a big surprise for me.

I put him in my starting XV in my recent Mail Sport column as I think having a young troublemaker in there would add a real extra edge to the game. I would have liked to see him compete against the Irish, but that’s Steve’s decision and we’re not going to argue about it. He only turned 20 on Tuesday, so his time will come.

I just hope Steve picks an exciting team now because I want England to play much faster than they have played in recent years.

I think the match in Ireland will go to the extreme. But the good news is that, with 60 seconds to go, the captain will be on the field of play. That alone is a huge step forward for this team.