Kelly Brown has been told the Scotland captaincy is his to keep – if he proves himself as their best openside flanker. Head coach Scott Johnson has named the 31-year-old Saracens skipper every time he has played.
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But the Australian has refused to make the appointment permanent – until now.
“I’ve told Kelly to his face – and there’s no use running away from it – if he is good enough to get in the starting XV, he will lead the team,” said Johnson.
“But we are only viewing Kelly as purely a number seven now. The six and the eight roles we will leave to other people.
“But he has to cement his place at number seven.
“If he is good enough to do so, he will captain the team. If he’s not, we will look for someone else.”
Johnson believes he has better options at blindside flanker and at number eight, leaving Brown to fight for the openside berth.
The likes of David Denton and Johnnie Beattie were preferred in the six and eight roles during the autumn internationals, when scrum-half Greig Laidlaw deputised as captain.