Thomas should not rock the boat
expose them to New Zealand and Australia as well this month, Eddie Jones’ men are attempting to draw strength from their victory in the rain at Cape Town in the final Test.
“We want to be a different team to what we were in South Africa. We want to be an improved team. But how we finished that tour was testament to the squad effort,” said Hartley.
“Think about that last game, a last game of the season. It would have been easy to let that go and have one eye on holiday and getting back home.
“It shows how unified the squad was to get that result.” TOUR DE FRANCE champion Geraint Thomas has been urged to keep quiet or else risk destroying the harmony with Chris Froome at Team Sky.
Thomas has admitted he was at times “frustrated” by Sky’s tactics in this year’s Tour and the “protection” Froome was given.
He highlighted the stage-three team time trial, when he says the Sky riders were ordered to wait for Froome if he punctured, yet the same care was not afforded to Thomas, who was then leading his team-mate by 52 seconds.
But former four-time world champion Fabian Cancellara says Thomas is naive to think Sky would so quickly abandon Froome and cautioned the Welshman about speaking out.
“Team Sky went to the Tour with one goal, winning with Chris Froome,” said Cancellara.
“The team time trial was early on. You don’t leave your first-priority rider just hanging on the back. If the team time trial was in the third week, I’d understand his words but I don’t understand it after only a few days.
“These stories can destroy the mood of a team.”
A lot of debate has swirled around who will be Team Sky’s leader at next year’s Tour de France: Thomas, as the defending champion, or Froome. But only one man’s opinion really matters.
“Sir Dave Brailsford is the boss. He wants to win the Tour. And he doesn’t care who wins it,” said Cancellara.
“The team and trainers will decide who will be the No 1 rider. Those two [Thomas and Froome] are only employees of the team and it’s a business.” ●Fabian Cancellara is a global ambassador for GORE WEAR. He will be appearing at the Rouleur Classic, from the November 1-3.