Dylan faces losing start role again
ENGLAND co-captain Dylan Hartley will go into the Six Nations having played no competitive rugby for six weeks because of a knee issue.
Hartley will sit out his fourth successive Northampton match tomorrow night when the Saints face Timisoara Saracens in the European Challenge Cup. And with the England squad in Portugal the following week, there will no opportunity for a pre-championship hit out.
The 32-year-old is expected to be fit to win his 98th cap in England’s huge tournament opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 2 but Eddie Jones’ concern will be how few recent minutes he has under his belt.
It increases the chances of rival hooker Jamie George starting against the holders at the Aviva Stadium.
Jones is a Hartley loyalist – and will be keen to include him in his 23 as much for his leadership as his rugby – but with George, right, having started England’s last two Tests against Japan and Australia the case for the in-form Saracen to do so again is a strong one.
“Playing Ireland first up is just so exciting,” said George.
“In my eyes they’re the best team in the world at the moment so they’ve got a great playing group that’s well coached. We know that’s going to be a serious test in Dublin so we’re looking forward to it.
“We don’t mind being underdogs but at the same time we’ve got a bit of confidence in ourselves at the moment and it’s going to be tasty.”
Jones unveils his Six Nations squad this morning with Hartley again set to be bracketed alongside Owen Farrell as joint skipper.
The 36-strong group to prepare for the game will include Billy Vunipola, Joe Launchbury and Ellis Genge who all missed the autumn Tests.
However Chris Robshaw, who has been sidelined for three months with a knee injury, looks likely to miss out.
Robshaw hopes to return for Harlequins at Agen tomorrow but with Brad Shields, who took his starting place against South Africa last summer,
and Mark Wilson, who was England’s player of the autumn, both specialist No6s, he could well be squeezed out.
There should be better news for Quins team-mate Mike Brown who was dropped for the first time by Jones for the autumn Tests but who is pressing hard for a recall.
Jack Nowell is also set to return after being ruled out of England’s last match with a torn hamstring following an eye-catching comeback for Exeter against Castres last Sunday.
“Watching Jack Nowell, it would be pretty hard not to name him after that performance,” said Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter.
Ireland will be without injured flanker Dan Leavy for the England game with the Leinsterman also set to miss the next game against Scotland. Leavy was the most notable omission from a 38-man Ireland squad for the first two rounds yesterday which sees the return of Robbie Henshaw, who missed the autumn series, and Sean O’Brien who broke his arm against Argentina.
World player of the year Johnny Sexton is also named after Ireland coach Joe Schmidt reported he is making “good progress” from the knee problem which sidelined him last week for Leinster against Toulouse.
With Luke McGrath and Kieran Marmion also out, Schmidt called up uncapped Connacht scrum-half Caolin Blade alongside provincial team-mates Jack Carty and Tom Farrell.
There could be an unscheduled meeting between the two sides in Portugal with both camps within five miles of each other on the Algarve.
❑ WASPS have captured former All Blacks centre Malakai Fekitoa from Toulon. The 26-year-old will link up with former Highlanders team-mate Lima Sopoaga at the Ricoh Arena in the summer.