Former Harlequin and England captain Will Carling will join England's management team this autumn in a mentor role as Eddie Jones seeks to build a bridge to the nation's "great past".

The former centre will starts the part-time role next week and has been asked to develop and improve the leadership skills of co-captains Dylan Hartley and Owen Farrell.

Carling amassed 72 caps for England with 59 as captain which saw him win three Grand Slams and a World Cup runners up medal, and Jones believes this experience will benefit an England side who have struggled in recent tests.

Jones has frequently identified inadequate "leadership density" as one of the shortcomings of his squad. If the appointment proves a success, Carling's involvement could extend until Japan 2019.

"I have met Will continuously over the last two years and I think he can add value to the senior players in the squad with his experience," Jones aid.

"He joins the great past of England to the present. It is a similar thing to what the All Blacks have done with great players and I think Will can play that role for us.

"Will is bit of a specialist in leadership. He understands what made English rugby great so combining the skill of leadership with the knowledge of English history is a nice resource for us to have."

The Australian continued: "I've thought about doing this all along, particularly because I'm not English.

"I can't preach to the players about having pride in England. I don't attempt to. I have always said that. I've thought that we have had possibly a gap in that area."