England appoint Dylan Hartley as captain


By HQ
January 25 2016

Dylan Hartley has been appointed England captain and will lead the team during the RBS 6 Nations which starts against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday 6 February.Hartley, who has been capped 66 times for England, became the youngest ever Premiership captain in 2009 when he took over the role at Northampton Saints. He went on to lead the club until 2014 which coincided with the most successful period in the club's history.

 

The 29 year-old hooker made his England debut in 2008 against Pacific Islanders and has captained England before, filling in for Chris Robshaw in the 14-all draw with South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 2012.

Dylan Hartley said: "It is a huge honour to captain England and a very proud day for me and my family.

"I'm really excited about the challenge ahead but in reality leading this squad of players will not fall just to me. It is essential for the success of this team that we quickly develop and establish a strong leadership group. There are a number of guys in this squad who will all have important leadership roles to play so we can take this team forward.

"There is a lot of young talent and potential which is great to see. Our focus over the next two weeks is to work hard and prepare for the Scotland game. Playing at Murrayfield will be a huge challenge and one we are all looking forward to."

England Head Coach Eddie Jones said: "I am delighted to announce Dylan as England captain. I know it will be a very proud moment for him, his club, his family and friends when he leads England out at Murrayfield.

"As a former captain of Northampton Saints and someone who has a lot of experience playing for England I have every faith he will lead the team tactically and passionately. English rugby is indebted to Northampton to have produced such a fine player.

"Dylan is an honest, hardworking bloke and I admire his aggressive and uncompromising approach to playing rugby. Together with Steve and Paul, we think he has all the qualities needed to lead this group of players. We look forward to working very closely with him to build a successful England team."

 

 
 
 

Bookmark or share this story with:

England appoint Dylan Hartley as captain
Discussion started by Unofficial England Rugby Union , 25/01/2016 15:58
Unofficial England Rugby Union
25/01/2016 15:58
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Reply Quote Report
PotNoodleHorn
25/01/2016 17:16
WORST DECISION EVER

E V E R

Reply Quote Report
almostatyke
25/01/2016 20:35
Why take the risk that this entails - Dylan has lost matches with his indiscipline.

Reply Quote Report
UnofficialEnglandRugby
25/01/2016 22:12
What message does this send out. Awful decision..... Not a good role model - I think he will crack under the pressure that the captaincy brings.

Reply Quote Report
Steve Sydney
25/01/2016 22:56
Binned after 30 minutes of second game ..... dreadful decision

Reply Quote Report
ballsout
01/02/2016 16:03
Has Hartley ever been carded in an England game? I mean ever, in all of his 55 or so caps. Maybe once, at most twice? Has his indiscipline ever cost England?

The man behaves himself in an England shirt. It's when he's under the watch of Mallinder and co that things go out the window.

Reply Quote Report
Steve Sydney
03/02/2016 22:41
The more we approach the weekend, the more confident I become. I very much hope that EJ has managed to prove me wrong with my earlier comment.

A tough England is what we need to have

Getting excited for kick off this weekend

Reply Quote Report
arquero
05/02/2016 14:45
Quote:
ballsout
Has Hartley ever been carded in an England game? I mean ever, in all of his 55 or so caps. Maybe once, at most twice? Has his indiscipline ever cost England?
The man behaves himself in an England shirt. It's when he's under the watch of Mallinder and co that things go out the window.

When you remember the very simple fact that club bans also extend to international appearances, it doesn't take much to work out that his international playing career is also affected, irrespective of where the incident occurred. Wasn't his missing last year's RWC the result of a ban that arose whilst playing for his club?

Reply Quote Report
Message List Search Log In
Your Name: 
Subject: 
We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net