CHRIS ROBSHAW HAS yet to face Ireland away during his 13 international caps but he knows all about duking it out against Irish opponents.

The England captain has been involved in three successive seasons of attritional battles with Harlequins against Connacht and tasted defeat in Galway just over a year ago.

However, Robshaw and Quins have emerged victors more often that not. The flanker’s first game against Ireland was that 30-9 scrum party at Twickenham.

Defeats on the summer to to South Africa and home losses to the ‘Boks and Australians led to the first questions over the 26-year-old’s captaincy but an astounding 38-21 win over the All Blacks put paid to that.

Conor O’Shea, Robshaw’s coach at ‘Quins, believes the flanker’s hunger to win is only surpassed by his desire to learn all there can be learned about the game.

“Captaincy is about attitude and reading the game,” O’Shea told TheScore.ie. ”It’s about being a student of the game and the sport.

Chris Robshaw has emerged as a contender for the British & Irish Lions captaincy.(©INPHO/Billy Stickland)

"Chris is an outstanding leader but captaincy isn't about doing just one job," he said.

You have to be comfortable letting others run things on the pitch but, at the same time, everyone knows there is one leader on the pitch.

"You have to delegate without feeling you are losing your authority."

The win over New Zealand and the good start to the Six Nations has, once again, edged Robshaw's name to the top of the Lions tour captaincy candidates."

"If you asked him he would say that he was focused on the next game," said O'Shea. "Even if he was considering it he would never let on."

Spirit of '03

Speaking to TheScore.ie earlier in the week, Robshaw paid tribute to the England side that climbed the summit of world rugby of a decade ago. The last time England beat Ireland in a Six Nations game in Dublin was in 2003.

He said, "You look at [that] England team... if you need points you can put it in the corner and they will grind something out. You know they’re not coming away without something."

Robshaw was pleased with the attacking facets of England's 38-18 win over Scotland last week and reserved a lot of his praise for Owen Farrell and Billy Twelvetrees, who scored a try on debut.

Nonetheless, one suspects that Robshaw, leader by committee and commitment, would be delighted to emulate the England team of '03 and take the battle to Ireland up front.

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