Why Eddie Jones Would Be Wrong to Appoint Dylan Hartley as England Captain

Dylan Hartley appears set to be named England captain in a bold move by new head coach Eddie Jones, as reported by BBC Sport.

However, while the Northampton hooker can be a fine player, he lacks the discipline and the ability to command respect that are needed to be an international captain. It looks as though Jones might be getting this important call wrong—very wrong.

At 29 and with 66 caps, Hartley is experienced enough to lead England, but that experience makes his indiscipline even less excusable. I shan’t list all Hartley’s misdemeanours here, but suffice to say that he has received bans totalling over a year in his career.

Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote that Hartley’s England career should be over. The reason: He can’t be trusted not to get wound up and cost his team at a crucial moment in a critical match.

Hartley may affirm he has learnt from his indiscretions, but he says that every time he returns from a ban.

Last December, after signing a new deal with the Saints, Hartley told Sky Sports: “Saints have shown incredible loyalty towards me, particularly during my well-documented disciplinary issues, and it’s great that I can take this opportunity to try to repay their faith in me.”

What happened in the following few months? Hartley was banned for four weeks after headbutting Jamie George of Saracens.

Aside from the ethical question (which we won’t tackle here) of whether sportspeople or national team captains should be role models, what makes the appointment even stranger is Hartley was replaced as Northampton skipper earlier this year after six years at the helm. It would be fascinating to know why Saints coach Jim Mallinder opted to strip the pugnacious hooker of the responsibility.

The other reason Jones’ choice is a gamble is because we don’t know what form Hartley, who has recently been sidelined with concussion, is in.

The England captain should be a guaranteed starter, and Hartley needs to prove he is better than Tom Youngs and George. The former had a decent Rugby World Cup, but the Sarries hooker was criminally under-used.

At 25, George is approaching his best years as a hooker and is improving all the time.

In August, South African World Cup-winning hooker John Smit had this to say about George, per ESPN: “He throws the ball unbelievably well, he scrums unbelievably well, he tackles, ball carries; he has no weaknesses. He is such an effective rugby player”.

The other practical difficulty Hartley will face is in the dressing room. It is doubtful that a player who missed the humiliating home World Cup campaign because he was serving a ban is going to get the most out of the rest of the team. Rather than be tainted by the ignominy of a first-round exit World Cup, Hartley is tainted by the fact he wasn't even there to help.

Former captain Chris Robshaw always took responsibility. He was an imperfect captain, but he got the players to play for him. Would Hartley do the same?

Hartley is clearly being eyed by Jones because of his confrontational qualities. The England coach, quite rightly, wants his new charges to stop being a soft touch. But rugby players can be abrasive without getting themselves periodically banned.

A dearth of candidates will have made Hartley appear an attractive option for Jones, but the coach should wait until his group are assembled for the Six Nations before making his choice. Then he should select a captain after seeing how each of his candidates is performing and shaping the squad dynamic.

Jones may be making a massive mistake.