The last time Martin Corry gave way to Lawrence Dallaglio, when England were on their way to an inglorious defeat at Murrayfield in the winter of 2006, it was perhaps the cruellest moment of his long career. The same switch was made again last night, but this time, rather than calling into question Corry's captaincy and even his place in the team, it was in recognition of the part he had played in establishing the foundations of a victory that enabled his players to hold their heads up for another week. With Tonga as good as beaten and a place in the quarter-finals virtually assured, he left the field to a justified ovation.

Few rugby captains can have delivered a pre-match address with the vehemence he displayed as he stood amid the huddle of England players half an hour before last night's kick-off, telling them that the reputation of English rugby would depend on the evening's outcome. His fist clenched and his arm pumping to emphasise every word, Corry was doing what does not come naturally. He is a doer, not a talker; a man who reassures by example rather than inspires by thought or word. And few could have failed to experience a twinge of sympathy.

For all his exhortations, and for all his comfortingly solid catch from the Tonga kick-off, his players started the match by exhibiting a terrible case of nerves. It was extraordinary, really, given their collective experience and standing in the game, but the significance of the occasion was clearly gnawing at their confidence as the Pacific islanders - impelled by the support of the rest of the rugby world, as well as that of their own fans - began by punching holes in the defence of the world champions.

After an opening exchange of penalties, Sukanaivalu Hufanga's opening try represented a fitting reward for their hard, straight, powerful running, which made England's own initial efforts with the ball in hand look pallid. When Jonny Wilkinson is more in evidence for his tackling than for his distribution, things may not be going well. Luckily for England, their No10 was soon able to bring his initiative to bear with the quickly taken penalty that created an answering try for Paul Sackey and brought the confidence flowing back into the team's veins.

Corry's sheer decency stands out every bit as impressively as his 6ft 5in, 18st frame. He is a man without guile or malice. You would certainly want him next to you in the trenches. But you might not want him blowing the whistle to send the troops over the top, or working out how to reinforce the flanks. That is the job of a strategist, which is not his metier.

He lost the England captaincy after last year's autumn internationals, when defeats by New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa brought an end not only to his 14-match reign but to that of the head coach Andy Robinson, who had given him the job after Wilkinson was injured and Jason Robinson opted for what turned out to be a temporary retirement from international rugby. He regained it, to the surprise of many, at Brian Ashton's behest when Phil Vickery earned himself a two-match suspension for tripping an opponent in the opening match against the United States, and there were those who winced at the thought of seeing him once again subjected to the ordeal of providing the team with a public face in times of difficulty.

Every England captain of the modern era is judged against the examples of Will Carling, a pin-up boy whose lengthy tenure encompassed the dawn of the professional era, and Martin Johnson, who exemplified the contrasting virtues of hard graft and solid achievement. Corry, by comparison, appears a one-dimensional character. It is a splendid dimension, representing such yeoman virtues as unfailing modesty and unswerving commitment, but it lacks the kind of depth, not to mention the very different public-relations skills, brought to the job by those illustrious predecessors. When England collapsed against South Africa two weeks ago, in his first match after regaining the armband, his mute anguish was excruciating to witness.

There was more for him to be proud of in the subsequent defeat of Samoa, although it was still a patchy performance. And even with Vickery available again for last night's sudden-death confrontation, Ashton felt able to keep his designated captain on the bench while inviting the replacement to continue in the role. Corry had expected to step down; instead he found himself leading the side into a match on which so much depended.

This was his 61st cap, and it came two weeks before his 34th birthday. Vickery's appearance midway through last night's second half suggests that he might well be restored to the captaincy for next Saturday's quarter-final, but Corry deserves to be celebrating his birthday before a semi-final in Paris rather than back home in Leicestershire. That may be too much to ask, since England's deficiencies were evident even in victory last night, but it will not be for the want of honest effort.

And so, less than two years after his leadership and his presence in the team were called into question in the most public way, Corry was able to leave the field last night with the sound of applause in his ears. He will not be letting it go to his head.