Interim head coach Rob Howley turned to Jones, who has captained his country a record 30 times, with regular captain Sam Warburton injured for the trip to France and he has stuck with him for the Italian test.

And while Jones is confident in Warburton’s ability to re-discover his form, the 31-year-old is relishing the opportunity to lead his country once again.

"There are plenty of twists and turns to come but we are still in the hunt,” said Jones, who has won the tournament three times before.

“We face a formidable test in Italy, it will be noisy and a new environment in the Stadio Olimpico but we have to embrace it.

"It is England's to lose, they have to be favourites the way they have been going, but they have big fixtures coming up.

"I wouldn't write France off because they will be hurting, and I would like to think we would be no pushovers in the Millennium Stadium on the final day with possible silverware on the line.

"The captaincy means the world to me and it is only when you lose it you realise the value of it. Sam is still squad captain and he is a kid with a great future.

"It's not just Sam, some of the guys in the squad have seen their careers sky-rocket and they have not experienced the other end of the spectrum.

"Rugby careers don't go like that, the players we remember are the ones who have had that longevity and have weathered these storms.”