England captain Dylan Hartley says his England side are hoping to rewrite the history books by becoming the first England side to win a Test series in Australia.
Hartley led England to a 27-13 victory over Wales at Twickenham on Sunday before both sides travelled to the Southern Hemisphere for their respective summer tours, with Hartley saying it is a real opportunity to secure a Test series win: “It’s an opportunity, isn’t it.
“It’s the first of four games for us and we’re keen to go and make some history in Australia. We’ve never won a series out there so that’s another big carrot for us.”
Hartley also said that the tour to Australia will give England the opportunity to play against a side who are currently ranked in the world’s top two, a position that England are aiming for themselves: “The win (against Wales) keeps us in that fourth ranking in the world.
“Australia are number two and that’s where we want to get to. We want to be in the top one or two in the world, so it’s the next step.”
Following England’s defeat of Wales on Sunday, Hartley also expressed his delight at the quality of players England have across all positions: “I think the strength in depth that we have is brilliant.
“I was fully confident that the team could win (against Wales). I’m chuffed to bits with the boys and it’s good for England Rugby to have that depth.”
England’s first Test against Australia takes place in Brisbane (June 11th), followed by the second Test in Melbourne (June 18th) with the third Test taking place in Sydney (June 25th).
