Dylan vow to return after concussion
DYLAN Hartley has published a defiant message on social media after it was announced that he will miss England’s tour to South Africa because of concussion.
Hartley (pictured) has not played since the final match of the NatWest 6 Nations, against Ireland on March 17, and on Monday his club Northampton revealed that he is to take an extended break.
The 32-year-old, who has sustained two previous significant concussions, has been stood down until pre-season for the 2018-19 campaign, meaning he will sit out the June series against the Springboks.
It appears that Hartley, who has captained England in all-but one Test under Eddie Jones, has taken exception to coverage of the news.
The hooker has released on Instagram a post titled “Dylan Hartley statement on Dylan Hartley” beside a photo of him singing the national anthem.
“Believe it or not this is a photo of me singing and not what is rumoured to be a fat lady (difficult to tell apart I know),” he said.
“I see there’s a lot of so-called experts out there in newspapers, pubs and podcasts recommending what I do with my career.
“Funnily enough I’m only listening to the medical professionals and myself.
“Fortunately/unfortunately for some I’ll be back next season to help my respective teams push on. Thank you for your support.”
Two years ago Hartley was ruled out for a total of 14 weeks because of two separate concussions, the last in the Grand Slam-clinching victory over France in which he was knocked out. He later conceded he had no memory of the trophy presentation held on the pitch and questioned whether another substantial head knock could result in his early retirement.
Hartley said in 2016: “Every time that you see your kid you think ‘if I hit my head again what’s that going to mean?’
“If I got another one now I’d be worried. I would probably start looking at other careers, or stuff like that, or maybe a long lay-off.” DAI Young believes he has retained the services of one of Europe’s best scrum halves after Dan Robson yesterday signed a long-term contract at Wasps.
The 2017/18 season has been a breakthrough campaign for the 26-year-old scoring ten tries and becoming the beating heart of Wasps’ attacking game plan.
His sparkling form lead to many calling for Robson to be given an international call-up for the Six Nations after Ben Youngs suffered a knee injury in the opening game against Italy.
Eddie Jones opted for Saracens’ Richard Wigglesworth but Robson could be preferred for the summer tour to South Africa if Jones opts to travel with three scrum halves.
“Dan has been outstanding for us this season,” said Young.
“His consistency has been really impressive, and when he is really on song he has the ability to frighten defenders.
“He has worked hard at his game over the last three years, and as a result is now one of the best scrum halves in Europe.
“At 26, there is still plenty more to come from Dan, who like a number of our other English-qualified players should be a big part of our side for the next half-a-dozen years at least.
“I am obviously biased, but if Dan continues to deliver the same level of performance for us, it can surely only be a matter of time before his England chance comes.”
Since joining Wasps ahead of the 2015/16 season, Robson has made 81 appearances for Wasps scoring 27 tries.
Only three of his first 14 Wasps appearances were from the starting 15 before he enjoyed a 12-game run in the nine shirt from January to May 2016.
The 2016/17 season saw Robson and Joe Simpson trade places with Robson’s longest starting sequence being just three successive games.
But in the current campaign, Robson has only arrived from the bench on three occasions and has weighed in with ten tries – including four in one match against Sale Sharks on the opening day of the season.
However, it was against Sale Sharks in April’s reverse fixture at the AJ Bell Stadium when Robson suffered a rare moment to forget when his clearance kick was charged down by Bryn Evans seconds into the second half as the Sharks secured a 28-27 victory.
Young kept faith in the Stoke-born