"That is not to say anything against George Burley or Matt Holland as there were a lot of things going on at the time which were disruptive. But there is definitely a togetherness here now and that is in no small part down to Jim Magilton.
"I don't know if Jim would appreciate the similarly to Martin Johnson but he has shown the same terrific leadership on and off the pitch.
"He has an opinion about things and is not afraid to let you know. I work closely with Jim and discuss a lot of team matters with him and he puts his point of view across. He has helped ensure that the connection between players and the community has been strengthened again."