Wilkinson steps up to captain England

Some people get some of what they want some of the time, and others get pretty much everything most of the time. And then there is Jonny Wilkinson, the world's finest outside-half, most prolific gatherer of Test points and, suddenly, England's captain at the ripe old age of 23. Newcastle's "other" treasure – a damned sight younger than Sir Bobby Robson, and Alan Shearer, too, come to that – will lead his country against Italy on Sunday following the withdrawal of Martin Johnson, who has problems with an Achilles tendon and needs a full week's rest, as opposed to the 10-minute variety he usually spends in the sin-bin.

Wilkinson is not the youngest red rose captain in living memory: Will Carling, the Harlequins centre who measured the latter stages of his career in tabloid column inches, was only 22 when Geoff Cooke appointed him before the match with Australia at Twickenham in 1988. But Carling's successor remains the most remarkable of English rugby prodigies, having made his debut at 18 and recovered from the serious trauma of a 76-0 pasting from the Wallabies in Brisbane to win 40 caps in next to no time, averaging more than 15 points a game.

His leadership qualities are not in question: Clive Woodward, the England manager-cum-head coach, regarded Wilkinson as a grown-up almost before the law did, and Rob Andrew, nobody's fool, chose the stand-off to guide an inexperienced Newcastle side through this season's challenging Premiership campaign. While it is true to say that Wilkinson has plenty on his plate already, what with the goal-kicking duties and the back-line calls and the crucial role he plays in defence, few doubt his ability to handle further responsibility. More often than not, model professionals make model leaders.

Woodward's original choice as captain in 1997, Lawrence Dallaglio, might still be in the position now, but for his humiliating run-in with the popular press before the last World Cup. He will, however, act as vice-captain at Twickenham this weekend. The promotion is no more than he deserves, having performed magnificently under pressure against Wales 11 days ago. Dallaglio did not appreciate being dropped following the tight victory over the All Blacks last November, and is now playing with more authority than at any stage since being invalided out of the 2001 Lions tour.

Johnson's temporary demise is entirely in keeping with England's state going into the third round of the Six Nations matches. Ben Cohen, Iain Balshaw and Mike Catt are not fit for the visit of the Azzurri, and the forward pack has taken a real mauling on the casualty front, with Jason Leonard, Phil Vickery, Julian White, Lewis Moody and Neil Back all under the physio, so to speak.

The back division will be the main area of interest when Woodward declares his hand today. Matthew Dawson has every chance of a recall at scrum-half following his striking cup semi-final performance for Northampton, while Phil Christophers and James Simpson-Daniel have designs on the left wing position. In midfield, Mike Tindall is in the frame for a run at outside centre, with Will Greenwood returning to his more familiar inside role, but the selectors are also discussing the merits of Jamie Noon, who plays alongside Wilkinson on Tyneside. Ollie Smith, the fast-improving Leicester centre, is another contender, albeit a distant one.

France, who face the wrath of a very decent Ireland side in Dublin on Saturday, will be led by Fabien Pelous, the Toulouse lock, in the absence of the injured Fabien Galthié. "The last time I captained the team, we lost to England in the 2001 match," Pelous said yesterday. "The team played badly, and the captain was not a good captain. This time, my priority will be to lead from the front."

Meanwhile, another Tricolore absentee, the Stade Français prop Pieter de Villiers, faces a French Federation anti-doping commission in Paris tomorrow, charged with bringing the game into disrepute by testing positive for cocaine and ecstasy. "I have confidence for the future, but whatever happens, the Six Nations is over for me," said De Villiers, who claims his drink was spiked during an after-match visit to a night-club.

Martin Leslie has been ruled out of Scotland's Six Nations meeting with Wales at Murrayfield on Saturday, enabling Scott Murray to return to the squad after being dropped last week. Leslie injured his shoulder and neck during training on Friday and was told yesterday that he needs a month's rest.