Hartley has brought an edge to England play, says Flatman

THEY are calling it the curious case of Dylan Hartley. An England captain who has won 15 out of 15, including a Grand Slam and a first ever whitewash in Australia, but is unsure of his starting spot.

With declining minutes on the field and a swashbuckling prodigy in Saracens hooker Jamie George snapping at his heels, the question is consistently asked: is Hartley the right man to captain England?

To some it seems maddening that George is set for the longest wait in Test history for his first start — 14 caps off the bench, only Liam Gill of Australia had more, and he never made the XV. The clamour for Owen Farrell to lead grows. As Hartley has retired to the bench earlier and earlier, Farrell has simultaneously guided England home — not only kicking goals, providing perfect assists, but making vital decisions. You do not take your captain off after 46 minutes when behind against Wales in Cardiff, do you?

‘The captain coming off early is not a big deal,’ said former England prop David Flatman. ‘England are stacked with leaders so I don’t think it is an issue. The new edge has a huge amount to do with Eddie Jones and Dylan Hartley.

‘I played at Bath with hooker Jonathan Humphreys and there were games when he played 30 minutes, but he had such an influence. ‘The fans were getting right into him, writing on forums that he should not be in the team, but we would not have swapped him for Jesus at that point — he was so important for us.

‘Lee Mears was an infinitely more talented player at the time but we needed Humphreys, like Dylan, to soften them up and have a go. That is really important.’

Flatman also thinks the way a captain guides his troops during the buildup to Test matches is vitally important.

‘I would argue Martin Johnson had a much bigger impact on a Monday than on a Saturday — on the field there were leaders everywhere in his team, and that’s where England want to get to now,’ he added.

‘During the week, by a mile he was the leader. And that’s what you get with Dylan. In pure rugby terms Jamie George is the best hooker in England, he does everything really well. But Dylan has enough authority, respect and chemistry with his team to retain that shirt for a while longer.’

Jeremy Guscott agrees that it is not time to discard the 81-cap hooker. ‘There is no doubt that Dylan’s influence as a senior player has been crucial in binding this squad together,’ said the BBC pundit.

‘You can’t measure the standing, gravitas and presence he has with the squad. We all trust Eddie to find the right moment for him to step aside, but I don’t think it is now.’