This week the Third Half team discuss the feud between Bristol and the RFU over Steve Borthwick, Dylan Hartley’s potential ascension to England captain, and Exeter’s excellence in the European Cup.
Enjoy!
Video credit: The Rugby Revolution
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I simply can´t believe that the rumours of Hartley as England captain are true. Here is a man who has served suspensions for gouging, biting, punching, elbowing in the face, butting and swearing at the ref. He missed the World Cup and the previous Lions Tour because of indiscipline, and was very lucky to only get a yellow card rather than a red for stamping when we lost narrowly to South Africa in 2014. That is one hell of a role model to put in front of the nation´s youth. He has always seemed to play without joy and with an unsettling readiness to get in a cheap shot on the blind side of the ref. More importantly, he has been out injured for some time and should have to justify his place as a player in front of George, Youngs and possibly a couple of others. He wasn´t playing well in the season before the World Cup and is in my view by no means even certain of a place in the squad. As for leadership, I agree with Jamie. He has been captain of Saints for several years, and rewarded them for their confidence in him by getting sent off at a crucial time in a major final. Would he get anywhere near being picked for the country of his birth, never mind as captain? If he wasn´t good enough for them he isn´t good enough for us either.
Well there is a bit of a gap between NZ & England in terms of the ability to play quality rugby, so yr contention of Hartley’s not being ‘good enough for them’ doesn’t nec apply to England.
You also seem to be repeating Lancaster’s error of putting processes, procedures & the jersey before a player’s (or a coach’s for that matter) past & future ability to play & lead in rugby.
EJ’s supposed ‘clean slate’ policy may bring out the best in DH. If not, there are still a few yrs to reconsider the captain’s appointment, if approp, b4 the nxt WC.
And surely England need to keep all options OPEN!?
Not sure I agree with too much of what you say, particularly with regard to leadership. Players need to trust their captain (viz Moore, McCaw, Johnson), and Hartley doesn´t tick that box. You suggest that EJ may bring out the best in Hartley, but I suspect that we have already seen the best and I hope Jones looks forward instead of back. However, the key point would seem to me to be that the captain must be first pick in his position. At present Jamie George is clearly the best English born hooker in the Premiership. Hartley is struggling to get his starting position at Northampton back from Mike Haywood, and Malinder has made it clear that it is not a foregone conclusion. On that basis alone he should not even be considered for the captaincy. The Six Nations is too close for him to recover form and prove that he deserves a place.
Agree that a team ought to ideally be picked on merit & from there pick a captain. The exception being, although a particular player may not nec be the ‘best’ in his posi, his leadership abilities, to ‘play’ the ref & ‘read’ the game in respect of decision making, are such that he demands inclusion.
You seem to have a bit of a downer on Hartley. George may be a better player @ present (?), so, on that basis, you could pick him, but then who is yr captain? You surely don’t want another Robshaw who was an all round good egg, but hardly charismatic or able to ‘read’ a game methinks.
Hartley would certainly bring some decisive bite back into the role & although he’s had his moments I don’t see him as being a complete mug either in a leader’s role. He’d certainly engage the ref & with EJ laying down his expectations for DH’s future @ Int’al level, I wouldn’t be quite so hasty in writing him off just yet. Form can ebb & flow @ times, but does Hartley have the potential to recapture his past in this respect?
It’s no skin off mine, but you could have a slightly more open approach IMO & also look @ what the player CAN offer, rather than what he can’t. And I venture that a too closed mindset didn’t prev seem to stand England in good stead under Lancaster.