EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: New England captain Dylan Hartley older and wiser to lead country forward

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  • New England captain Dylan Hartley is seizing his chance.

    Leaving the pitch after leading his country for the very first time, Dylan Hartley admitted he was just happy to have “survived” a baptism of fire at Murrayfield.

    Hartley was lifted by a winning start, of course, but the hooker was making a pointed reference to the immense individual scrutiny placed upon him ever since Eddie Jones’ controversial decision to hand him the captaincy.

    The 29-year-old Northampton man’s indisputable talent and innate leadership qualities once saw him lauded in glowing terms as a future Red Rose skipper.

    But the embers of that praise had long since been doused by a seemingly incessant flow of disciplinary woe.

    Punching, gouging, biting, elbowing, verbal abuse…

    Hartley has always played on the edge but the distinction between controlled aggression and thuggery has at times seemed a mystery to him with more than a year of his career wiped out by suspension.

    That shameful statistic encompasses a Lions Tour and, even more lamentably, last year’s botched World Cup campaign.

    Put simply, Hartley’s England career was in dire jeopardy before Jones’ stunning reprieve, where he threw him not only a lifeline, but one shaped like an armband.

    He knows the critics are sharpening their knives – hence his sheer relief after the Calcutta Cup was secured – but he is instead eager to view this as the ultimate opportunity to rehabilitate.

    “I’m going to give it everything I can. I’m not going to lie and say that I am everyone’s first-choice (as captain) because I know I’m not. I’ve made mistakes in the past and I’m grateful to Eddie Jones for giving me the chance to show everyone what I am,” Hartley told Sport360°, ahead of this Sunday’s trip to face Italy in Rome.

    He blames his history of self-destructive savagery on “building things up too much” in his head but insists he is ready to prove he has learned to cope with his demons.

    “I know people want me to muck up, it’s the nature of some people,” Hartley added. “I respect their judgement, but I’ve learnt from my mistakes and I’m now moving on.

    “I’m older and wiser than I was a year ago and I’m going to do everything I can to lead England to success.”

    The 15-9 victory over Scotland ticked just one box of the pre-match wishlist, and that was the two points on the board in the 2016 Six Nations.

    The setback of a wounding defeat against a team England has long dominated was avoided, but the size of the task facing Hartley and his mentor Jones was clear to see.

    This Sunday a showdown with the Azzurri presents another opportunity for them to make a statement about the potential of the new regime, and the No2 is convinced their improvements will be obvious at the Stadio Olimpico.

    “We weren’t at our best against Scotland but we still got the win, that’s what mattered,” he said.

    “We’re a fairly new team under a new coach and we’re learning a different way of playing. Eddie’s really implementing his style into everything and I can’t see that being a bad thing. The only qualm is that it can take time. We’ve been training with each other for a few weeks now, we’ve had our first game and everyone’s now starting to really settle in. It’s good and that’ll only show in how we play.”

    Italy were narrowly beaten 23-21 against France in their opening fixture, with Sergio Parisse’s failed last-minute drop goal seeing them fall agonisingly short of a first ever away win against Les Bleus.

    Captain Parisse remains an inspirational figure for the Italians and Hartley is all too aware of his opposite number’s threat.

    “They’ve got some high calibre players,” he said. “They were impressive at the World Cup and were unlucky to lose at the weekend. I think no matter what the XV, a team with Sergio Parisse always has a chance. You can never count them out when he’s still around.

    “It doesn’t matter who your opponents are. We could be up against the best in the world or the worst, as a team of professionals – especially international professionals – you have to approach each and every game with the same mental attitude. You have to stick to your game plan and stick to what you’ve worked on in training.

    “That’s one of the most important things of being a professional. Don’t let stats and figures blind you.

    “Look what Eddie Jones did to Japan at the World Cup when they beat South Africa, nobody could’ve predicted that, but Japan went there and stuck to a game plan and they were rewarded.

    “So yeah, we’re approaching this like any other game and I’m confident we’ll be coming back from Italy next week all smiles.”

    The sight of Hartley wearing the England armband and a smile on his face might just be the ultimate indication both he and the team are on the right path once again.

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