RFU KEEP FAITH IN ACCUSED HARTLEY

DYLAN HARTLEY has been backed as England captain by RFU bosses as he waits to hear if he must serve another ban. The skipper (below) is in disciplinary trouble again and finds out today whether he will be suspended for the autumn internationals. He was cited for striking Clermont prop Rabah Slimani in Northampton’s 24-7 Champions Cup defeat on Saturday. If found guilty, a low-level ban would see him out for two weeks. But any longer than that and he would miss England’s Test against Argentina. Stephen Brown, the RFU’s chief executive, supported Hartley. ‘My personal opinion is that Dylan has been a superb captain for England,’ he said. ‘But the management of the England team is Eddie Jones’s job. Eddie looks after that and will make his own judgment about that. ‘The players have a responsibility as role models. I would withhold judgment until we see the outcome of any hearing.’ Joe Marler and Nathan Hughes will also discover their fates today. Both have been cited for striking offences. Brown wants to find Jones’s successor as England coach before the 2019 World Cup. ‘There may well be the next star out there who we haven’t quite identified yet,’ he said. ‘None of us know. I wouldn’t want to be going into a World Cup not having a good view of it. We also need it not to be a distraction going into 2019.’ Brown did not rule out Jones staying beyond the World Cup. Meanwhile, Julian Savea will line up against the All Blacks at Twickenham on November 4. The winger, who has 46 tries in 54 Tests for New Zealand but was dropped from their European tour, will play for the Barbarians.