We’ll be world beaters
HARTLEY WANTS TO BE THE BEST
DYLAN HARTLEY claims England now truly believe they are potential world-beaters.
Hartley leads England out against Argentina at Twickenham today as the world’s No.2-ranked team after 20 wins in their last 21 Tests. But the Northampton hooker isn’t interested in being second best to anyone – not even world champions New Zealand.
“The belief is 100 per cent there now in the team that we can get to No.1 and we can win a World Cup,” he said. “If you don’t have these kind of goals, these dreams, and you don’t talk about these things, I don’t think you’ve got any chance of achieving them.
“As a team we want to be No.1 and we want to win a World Cup.
“In the past, we were too polite but it’s sport, it’s a challenge. We want to win every game. We want to win everything.”
England are sufficiently confident to rest Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje against the Pumas, who are in their World Cup group at Japan 2019.
After a series win in South America in June, Hartley is demanding England maintain their psychological hold over Argentina and continue the progress of the past two years.
“I want us to evolve as a ® team and pull away,” said Hartley. “I want us to be so much better than we were in the summer.
“We’ve had two great years as maybe a bit of an unknown team. Two years out from a World Cup people are obviously aware now that we’re an improved team and we need to kick on.
“We’re not a surprise any more. We expect to give people a good, hard game and I think people know that. Maybe we do have a target and we have to be better now.”
Logical
The Pumas have won just three of their last 20 Tests, a run which led Red Rose coach Eddie Jones to claim this week that his opposite number Daniel Hourcade was under pressure.
“You are always under pressure at the top level,” said Hourcade. “The pressure is perhaps more on England.
“They are No.2 in the world, we are No.10. We are playing here, in the last part of our season.
“If we lose, it would be logical but if they lose, it would not. They have the pressure.
“We all know how Eddie is – perhaps some things he says are not true.
“England are a complete team, really efficient, but they have some weak points. The strategy will be to attack those weak points.”