Hartley Saints return against Glasgow

Dylan Hartley is set to make his comeback from concussion when Northampton face Glasgow in a pre-season friendly at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night.

The England captain acted on medical advice by taking an extended beak from the game after becoming symptomatic in the wake of the six nations defeat by Ireland in March.

After five months out, he is ready to resume playing in the expectation of being available for the Premiership opener at Gloucester on September 1.

“I’ve been training to play this Friday and to compete for a spot in the team. If I do get into the team and play, then I’ll be in contention for the following weekend,”

“Summer has been good. I’ve had a good balance”

Hartley said. Hartley suffered the third significant concussion of his career at Twickenham on March 17, resulting in the recommendation by specialists to rest with no timeline established for his return.

Having been knocked out against France in 2016, he expressed fears that another head injury could end his career, but the 32-year-old hooker has made a full recovery.

The last few weeks of a summer in which he has married his longterm partner Joanne have been spent on a reconditioning programme that has placed him on the brink of making his comeback.

“The summer has been really good. I’ve had a good balance between reconditioning, training, family and social life,” Hartley said. “It’s been good time out.”

Hartley is expected to be restored to the captain‘s role for the autumn series against South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia.