Mike Tindall will lead England into World Cup battle against Argentina after former Lion Lewis Moody was ruled out of Saturday’s clash.
The 2005 tourist has failed to recover from his recurring knee injury and will sit out the opener with the Pumas, instead targetting a comeback against Georgia on September 18.
Tindall skippered England, in Moody's absence, for the final two warm-up matches against Wales and Ireland and is in line for the honour again.
"I don’t feel any added pressure, I just feel excitement," Tindall told the Daily Mail.
"It’s a great honour to go out there and lead your team. We’ve got a lot of leaders on the field and you just get into the habit of talking when you need to. Being asked to captain is flattering but I’m happy just playing the game."
Tindall is one of just four survivors of the 2003 World Cup winning squad and has fond memories of that historic day in Sydney. And after reaching the final in 2007 but coming up short, he hopes England can go one further.
"I remember when we came back after winning the trophy in Sydney and it was amazing. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do that again?" added Tindall.
