England opt for Dowson over Hartley as skipper for Baa-Baas
NORTHAMPTON No8 Phil Dowson is set to captain England for the first time against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.
Dowson, 30, has been handed the armband in the absence of regular skipper Chris Robshaw, one of several players on Premiership final duty the previous day.
Despite only winning his first cap during this year’s Six Nations and then losing his starting place to Ben Morgan, Dowson is seen as one of Stuart Lancaster’s leaders.
He was preferred for the role over Saints skipper Dylan Hartley, set to make his first appearance since an eight-week ban for biting Ireland’s Stephen Ferris.
“Phil is one of the key members of out leadership group,” said forwards coach Graham Rowntree, who added of Hartley: “The fact he has been out for eight weeks, I want Dylan to focus on playing, to focus on his game and not be saddled with captaincy issues.”