Johnson may fancy a change in any case, and Ryan gave Tindall a ringing endorsement in an interview with today's Times.

“There's no one better than Tins,” Ryan said. “His influence is huge. We [Gloucester] struggled in January and February, but we could have been sitting comfortably [at the top] if Mike hadn't been injured. It is no accident that since he's been back we have been playing a lot better.

“His leadership and understanding of the game is top level. He could easily captain England. It is not easy to see where [Johnson] could go beyond Mike.

"People do not realise how well he understands the game. He builds it from simple foundations. He then has the physical equipment to keep the game simple himself just by taking the ball.

“Only 12 months ago he got an unbelievable amount of criticism. He will always be a player that allows other players to do well. He'll never be a player who you go away thinking, 'S**t, Tins is a top player', unless you actually analyse what he has done. He's vastly underrated.”

The only cloud hanging over Tindall, the boyfriend of Zara Phillips, is his impending court case for drink-driving, scheduled to be heard next Wednesday according to the Times.

The 29-year-old Tindall, who has 54 England caps, says he has had minimal contact with Johnson since the latter was appointed.

“If someone asked me [about leading England], it would be great,” Tindall said. “If they don't, as long as I am in the squad, I will be happy. I've had no chats with Johnno. I spoke to him once just to say, 'Hi, how are you?' I think he has enough on his plate."

Tindall does not captain Gloucester, where the club leadership has been shared this season between Marco Bortolami and Peter Buxton.