In January 2012, Robshaw was announced as England captain for the first two games of the 2012 Six Nations, despite only previously obtaining a single cap. He went on to captain England throughout the rest of the tournament, featuring a clean sweep of away wins at Scotland, Italy and France, as well as a win at Twickenham against Ireland and a narrow loss to eventual Grand Slam winners Wales. He was retained as captain of the England side for their series defeat in South Africa, in which he played only two tests after fracturing his thumb. Despite defeats by both Australia and South Africa, Robshaw captained his team to victory against New Zealand at the end of 2012.