Dylan Hartley will remain as England captain, insists Eddie Jones
Tuesday 21 March 2017 15:18, UK
England head coach Eddie Jones has insisted that Dylan Hartley will continue to captain the side, despite reports to the contrary.
Hartley has captained England to back-to-back Six Nations titles, though they lost out on a history-making successive Grand Slam and record 19th straight Test victory with defeat against Ireland on Saturday.
A combination of Hartley's lengthy disciplinary record and the form of Saracens hooker Jamie George has seen his England place and captaincy called into question by several media outlets in recent weeks.
The Northampton Saints hooker has also served a total of 60 weeks suspension throughout his controversial career, but Jones has backed Hartley to continue leading the side.
"Dylan [Hartley] is an outstanding captain and does a super job. There's no reason why he won't continue to do a super job," Jones said.
"It's like when Mike Brearley captained the England cricket team - everyone questioned him, then he won the Ashes and no-one questioned him.
"I thought he was better than he was in November - and there's no reason why, the next time he comes in, he can't be better than he was this time.
"As long as he keeps improving, he's in the right direction, like every other player."
British and Irish Lions boss Warren Gatland also exclusively told Sky Sports News HQ on Monday that Hartley was still in the mix for the Lions captaincy, along with team-mate Owen Farrell.
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