DYLAN’S STILL MY LEADER

Jones won’t axe skipper Hartley

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DYLAN HARTLEY will captain England for the rest of the year even if he fails to make the Lions squad for this summer’s New Zealand tour.

Hartley was hauled off early in the second half of England’s 13-9 defeat by Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

The loss cost England back-to-back Grand Slams and the chance to set a new record of 19 consecutive Test wins. But coach Eddie Jones refused to make Hartley the fall guy.

“Dylan is an outstanding captain and does a super job. There’s no reason why he won’t continue to do a super job,” said Jones.

“It’s like when Mike Brearley captained the England cricket team – everyone questioned him, then he won the Ashes and no one questioned him.”

Appalling

Jones will rethink the captaincy after the November internationals but still thinks Hartley can perform to the level needed to lead England to the 2019 World Cup.

He added: “He was better than he was in November and there’s no reason why he can’t be better than he was this time.”

Jones insisted critics of England’s Dublin defeat have forgotten how far they have come since the 2015 World Cup disaster.

He said: “You’re putting too much significance on the loss. We’re in a better position than we were 12 months ago.

“Having a winning record and an undefeated record is fantastic but it’s unreal in world rugby.

“You’re always going to get caught by a team on its day when they’re at their best.

England stars Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Joe Launchbury are all in a a 12-man shortlist to be named Six Nations player of the year.