Friday 5 February 2016 09:53, UK
Chris Robshaw has given new England captain Dylan Hartley his full backing ahead of their Six Nations opener against Scotland at Murrayfield.
A new era for English rugby begins on Saturday, the first match under new coach Eddie Jones, who has made Northampton hooker Hartley his skipper.
Robshaw was England captain under Jones' predecessor Stuart Lancaster, but although he has been axed as skipper, he retains his place in the team and says Hartley is the right man to lead England.
"Dylan [Hartley] has been great so far. He's our most experienced player here," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "He got my full support when he got it, and he has the support of the team.
"I've no doubt he will go out there and produce at the weekend."
The Harlequins star has been moved from the openside flank to the blindside and says he is delighted to be in the team following the criticism he endured for England's disappointing World Cup campaign.
"I'm very happy. The World Cup didn't go how we planned. It was hugely disappointing," he said. "But we've put that to bed and it is a fresh start. It's a new coach, a new captain, a new squad of players."
Robshaw says Jones has quickly put his own stamp on the squad.
"There is a new way about how we go about our business," he said. "We've got a very experienced side, with a lot of talent. We've got young guys coming off the bench as well. It's an exciting time.
"Eddie has come in and put his mark on it. There are going to be some similarities to how we played before. But with Eddie, he's come in and done things slightly differently.
"It has been slightly different but you expect that. You expect a new coach to come in and put their own mark on it. That's what Eddie's done and the other coaches as well. All the players have bought into it."
Robshaw expects a tough afternoon at Murrayfield against a team who were a controversial penalty away from reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
"I think this will be the toughest match we've had against Scotland for a while really," he said. "You look at how they played at the World Cup. They are playing pretty well and they are confident.
"We're going to Murrayfield which is always a tough place to go. But we're looking forward to it - these are the games you want to play in. It's the Calcutta Cup. It's an exciting fixture. International rugby is about winning. It's about producing in these kinds of arenas and hopefully we can go up and do that."
