Johnson keen to keep Borthwick under captaincy pressure

Martin Johnson yesterday stopped short of confirming Borthwick as captain for the entire championship, preferring instead to highlight the depth of England's leadership options.

There is little doubt that Borthwick's influence over the squad is held in the highest regard by Johnson, who has selected the Saracens lock as captain for every Test since taking charge.

When Borthwick leads England out at Twickenham against Wales only Will Carling – with an unbroken run of 44 Tests – will have captained his country in more consecutive matches.

"The captaincy is an important role and Steve sets a great example for us but in any successful team there has been a group that take the leadership responsibility," said Johnson. "We need a team that can survive losing any player. We have a better leadership group around Steve than we have had in my time.

"It's the strength of any side that you have three, four or five guys who could be captain. With guys like Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Moody, Nick Easter and Simon Shaw we are starting to have a core group. If you are reliant on any one player, captaincy or playing-wise, then it is a weakness."

Borthwick insists he is content with fighting for his place in the side rather than being appointed for the duration of the championship. "You have to earn your place in the team," he said. "I have been playing as well as I can for Saracens to put myself in the best possible shape for England."

England finished second in last year's Six Nations before enduring a miserable, injury-hit autumn campaign.

England's performances against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand were heavily criticised for being toothless and laboured.

Johnson admitted the coaching had been "over-prescriptive" and his efforts to sharpen England's attacking edge have been boosted by the return of key players.

Delon Armitage, Riki Flutey and Toby Flood have recovered from injury while Johnson has promoted promising youngsters Courtney Lawes, Dan Cole, Matt Mullan and Ben Foden into the squad.

Johnson believes he is developing competition for places which is vital leading into the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

He also warned against writing off England's chances of winning their first title since 2003 just because English clubs have struggled in Europe this season.

Lee Byrne faces an anxious wait to discover whether he will be banned for the start of Wales' Six Nations campaign after being hit with a misconduct complaint.

The Wales full-back will appear before a disciplinary panel following Saturday's 16th-man controversy against Leicester.

Byrne returned from the blood-bin during the second half of the Ospreys' 17-12 victory without them withdrawing replacement Sonny Parker.