FIRES STILL BURNING FOR STAR HARTLEY

IT may surprise many to learn that Dylan Hartley is poised to become England’s second-most capped player tomorrow. When he runs out at Murrayfield he will be making his 92nd international appearance, which is a fantastic effort. Hartley might take some stick occasionally — we all have at various stages of our careers which I learnt to call ‘positive feedback’ — but his critics love him really. To play 92 Tests for England is an extraordinary achievement, especially in a position where the attrition rate is so high and there are young pretenders snapping at your heels like the excellent Jamie George. Those of us on the sidelines can only tip our hat. I strongly supported Hartley’s appointment as England captain — which came after he had been omitted from the last World Cup on disciplinary grounds. I continue to admire the work he does for club and country. I did wonder a while back if he would get through to the next World Cup but I sense the fires are still burning. His performance levels for England never dip and he clearly retains the full support of Eddie Jones. That relationship is key. From the start, Jones recognised a kindred spirit who fully understands his approach and an individual who would communicate that to the rest of the squad. That’s a priceless bond and their record of 24 wins out of 25 games is exceptional. There is a chemistry that clearly works and England want to work off that for as long as possible. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I still wish Eddie would keep him on the field to the bitter end because that’s when the really big games tend to be won, but these are different times and people have different approaches. Perhaps it’s an extension of Jones’ philosophy regarding ‘finishers’. Just as he believes there are players who are ‘finishers’ rather than starters, perhaps he also thinks there are players who are more suited to taking charge in the final 20 minutes. Perhaps he sees Owen Farrell as his finishing captain. The reappearance of Nathan Hughes at No 8 after injury to replace the injured Sam Simmonds is no surprise. The only issue was fitness and I hear Hughes was worked very hard in camp last week to get him up to speed. England have selected a mighty physical back row — and a huge pack generally — capable of taking a stranglehold on the game. For those England fans travelling to the game, these are heady times and it will take one of the biggest upsets in Six Nations history for them not to enjoy the delights of Edinburgh both on and off the pitch.