Chris Robshaw has expressed his belief that his tough experiences early in his England captaincy have inspired him to become a stronger leader.

The 28-year-old was handed the captaincy by Stuart Lancaster despite a lack of international experience, and was initially criticised for his decision making in clutch moments.

However, Robshaw feels that he learned a great deal from those experiences and is now ready to lead the Red Rose into the World Cup later this year.

"It was pretty tough," he told the Daily Mail. "It was first time going through that side of the media and having poor thoughts against you.

"I learned a lot, I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about the squad we have here and the character of guys and that was tremendous seeing the guys support me. Then you bounce back and after that you learn how to deal with it. You learn what to take in and what not to take in. How to support guys.

"You know now that if a guy is going through a tough time you know what it feels like so you purposely go and see them and make sure they are OK and go from there. It's never nice, but I think once you go through it, it makes your shoulders a little bit broader."

England face Ireland later today in a crucial Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium.