Six Nations 2018: England coach Eddie Jones hits back at Dylan Hartley criticism
EDDIE JONES is adamant that hooker Dylan Hartley remains the right man to captain the England rugby team - even though the physical demands of his position means he misses the crucial last 25 minutes of every international.
The England head coach was responding to critics like his hugely successful predecessor Sir Clive Woodward, who believe the national team require an inspirational skipper on the field for the whole match.
When the side keep winning the issue lies dormant. But after a disturbingly poor defeat like the one away to Scotland in the Six Nations last weekend, the focus on the current compromise solution of Jones is intense.
He believes Hartley is far and away the best captain, and will brook no thought of change.
“Speak to him about it,” said Jones bluntly of the criticism by his old pal Woodward.
“We have set up the team so that the captaincy is movable.”
We have set up the team so that the captaincy is movable
The leader’s mantle moves to Owen Farrell when the time comes for Hartley to trudge off in matches, but Jones clearly doesn’t think the Saracens player is ready for the job full-time.
The only other credible candidate right now, another of the few who usually lasts the full 80 minutes, is lock Maro Itoje. Talk to him, and he is happy in the ranks for the moment.
“Dylan is very influential,” said Itoje. “He’s our captain and he’s done a great job thus far. It’s about everyone pushing the team in the right direction.
“It’s not all down to him; it’s about the other guys helping.”
That echoes the message of Jones, and the head coach wants more help for Hartley, saying: “We’ve always known that we have to improve in our leadership.
“That’s an ongoing issue for us, and that something that takes time. It is not solved overnight.
“It takes development, intellectual input, consultation, discussion, and we are doing all those things and moving in the right direction.”
For the moment, there is no-one but Hartley who stands out as leader of the pack, and Jones was fulsome in praise of the work his captain does behind the scenes, particularly in the past week when the side have been stung by the manner of defeat to Scotland.
“You need strong people,” said Jones. “You don’t need people who are feeling sorry for themselves; you need people to come in and want to set an example of how we will go forward --- and Dylan has done that.”
England’s next match is another tough away fixture, this time against France.
Victory is essential to keep alive any hope of retaining their Six Nations crown, and Jones identified huge French centre Mathieu Bastareaud as a particular threat.
“France are a big physical team, and I think they will try to punch the ball up with their big forwards, create an offload, and then they try to play their more traditional French game,” said Jones.
“Bastareaud gives them a different dimension at 12 or 13. He’s one of the best defensive backs in the world at the breakdown, and he also has incredible offloading skills.
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“The only bloke I’ve ever seen like him is a bloke I played with, Lloyd Walker, who played for the Wallabies.
“He used to waddle around the field too but had an extraordinary influence, and that’s what Bastareaud has got.”
Jones revealed that he is contemplating some changes to the England side after the loss against the Scots, but he is confident the players will bounce back in Paris.
“There is a great deal of determination,” said the England boss. “You lose, but that’s life. You are disappointed by it, but you always react with a bit more vigour than if you’ve had a win when people are slapping you on the back.”