Two games into his role as England captain, Dylan Hartley’s positive influence has been hailed by Eddie Jones.
Wins over Scotland and Italy on the road provided the Saints hooker with a perfect start on the field, but it’s the example he sets off the field that has impressed his head coach.
“He’s brought the team together,” Jones said at Wednesday’s press conference. “It was well documented after the World Cup that this team wasn’t very close, so he’s done a fantastic job bringing everyone together and getting everyone to understand how we want to behave, how we want to train and how we want to play.
“Those are our key values we want to get across and I think he’s done that. It’s still early days and we’re a work in progress as a team, but he’s doing a good job.”
England return to Twickenham on Saturday for the first time since the Rugby World Cup and the man himself, Hartley, says the team can’t wait to take on Ireland.
“We’re excited to be back at home, it’s been a while” he said. “Having the two weeks between games, we’ve prepared well and a lot of good work has been done. It’ll be good to be back on our own turf.
“We’ve had a good start to this campaign and now this is our first proper test. But we’re fresh, back at home and buzzing to get out there.”
You can watch the Six Nations action at the Gardens immediately after the Saints’ Aviva Premiership tie with Worcester – big screens in the bars showing the game for supporters at no extra cost!
Kick off at Twickenham is 4:50pm, almost immediately following the Saints’ game, which itself begins at 2:45pm to avoid a clash. Book tickets online by CLICKING HERE
