Venter hails Borthwick

Saracens coach Brendan Venter paid tribute to skipper Steve Borthwick following his side's 28-9 victory over Toulon on Thursday.

Skipper should continue to lead England says coach

Saracens coach Brendan Venter paid tribute to skipper Steve Borthwick following his side's 28-9 victory over Toulon on Thursday. Success keeps Sarries in with a chance of overhauling the French side in Pool 3 of the Amlin Challenge Cup, and Venter put the win down to the efforts of of his captain. Borthwick has captained England in 14 Tests under Martin Johnson but the lock has yet to be confirmed in the leadership role for the upcoming RBS 6 Nations. However, Venter said it would be a mistake to give the armband to anyone else. "We are a good rugby side because of Steve Borthwick," said Venter. "Steve is everything I want in a captain. If you want a Courtney Lawes running with the ball, dummying, catching and passing that is something different. "Every single game Steve is either the top contributor or second - and from a lock, it is amazing. "In our last game against Leicester he made nine more contributions than anybody in the team and he only played 70 minutes. I texted him and said 'Amazing'. "If we are going to end up having a great season and competing at the highest level it is because of Steve Borthwick."