A ‘grumbly’ knee putting Dylan future in jeopardy
DYLAN HARTLEY was left out of the England squad yesterday, with the ‘ grumbly knee’ which may need surgery putting him in doubt for the Six Nations and perhaps even the World Cup.
He will miss the championship opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 2 but head coach Eddie Jones is hopeful the Northampton hooker could be available to face Wales in Cardiff.
Asked to clarify the nature of the condition which has kept Hartley out for the past few weeks, Jones said: ‘Well, he’s 32 and he’s probably played 300 games for Northampton and he’s played 90-odd for England, plus a few for Worcester, so it’s just wear and tear.
‘He might eventually need an operation to clean it up, but at this stage they’re doing what they call passive rehab and we’re confident that he should be fit to play in the Six Nations.
‘The first thing is he has to get healthy — he’s not healthy yet. Then he’s got to get fit. We’ll just wait and see, but at this stage we’d be hopeful that he’ll be back at least for the Wales game.’
If he is unable to play at all in the Six Nations, it would give Hartley ( right) time to recover and push for a place in the squad for the World Cup.
Owen Farrell will lead the national team against Ireland after sharing the role with Hartley in the autumn. Asked how Farrell has progressed as a leader, Jones said: ‘It is a natural cycle for a captain. you start off captaining the side like you’re a player, then you learn that within the team everyone is different, and you start learning techniques: different ways of developing relationships with players and referees. It is an ongoing process.
‘Owen is maturing at a good rate and is capable of captaining the side by himself but he will need assistance from the senior players, like any good captain does.’
Farrell still has a tendency to get on the wrong side of referees. He was recently lectured by an official for his vehement protests during a league match and Jones added: ‘It will be a consistent work in progress because he’s a competitor and he wants to be at them. But he will continue to learn.’
Jones insisted that Hartley will be reinstated as co-captain when he is fit and available but he also spoke of a ‘growing density of leadership’ within the squad, after recalling the Vunipola brothers, Joe Launchbury and others who were absent during November.
Former England captain Chris Robshaw was also left out of the 35-man squad with a nagging knee injury and, like Hartley, he has been told to regain full fitness, with the motivation that the door remains open to him. Another Quins veteran, scrum-half Danny Care, is fit but has also been overlooked. The uncapped Dan Robson of Wasps has been preferred.
One notable aspect of this squad is the vast array of ball- carrying clout at Jones’s disposal. He has been able to recall Billy and Mako Vunipola, Launchbury and Ellis Genge, along with Nathan Hughes, Ben Te’o, Manu Tuilagi and Joe Cokanasiga. Never in recent memory have England had so much heavy firepower. ‘ It won’t change our game but it will change our ability to dent the line, which is a massive part of the game at the moment,’ said Jones.
Cokanasiga, Bath’s Fiji- born wing, made his Test breakthrough in fine style in November but he faces a race to recover from injury in time for Dublin.
‘I couldn’t say 100 per cent he’s going to be fit but all the medical reports from Bath suggest he will be, so we’re banking on that,’ said Jones. ‘ We might bring over a Fijian witchdoctor to help with the process!’
Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley has been rewarded with a call-up for his scorching club form, even though the man who has picked him joked: ‘He doesn’t know much about rugby.’
Once again, there is no place for Danny Cipriani, but Jones insisted that the playmaker should not lose all hope, adding: ‘He’s got to hang in there, continue to be at his best and when the opportunity comes, be ready to go.’