Thursday 19 October 2017 14:52, UK
England coach Eddie Jones needs to drop his captain Dylan Hartley to make way for hooker Jamie George, according to former international Pat Sanderson.
The ex-Worcester star - who briefly captained England in 2006 - entered the debate over who should be England's first-choice hooker when speaking on Sky Sports' latest episode of The Offload.
And ahead of the autumn internationals with England hosting Argentina, Australia and Samoa on consecutive weekends from November 11, Sanderson said that Eddie Jones' side has developed to the point where the coach can now afford to drop his talisman and reward George's outstanding form for Saracens and the Lions.
"We are not looking at one hooker that is light years ahead of the other," he said. "They are both brilliant hookers. And the simple fact is that right now Jamie George is doing the business.
"For me there isn't really an argument to be had. That's not a criticism of Dylan, it's just that in Jamie George we have, what I think, is a truly world-class hooker and he has to start. I think Eddie has to be brave enough to recognise that the culture and the values of his squad will permit that to happen now."
Following Eddie Jones appointment to the England job in 2015, the new coach quickly promoted Hartley to the role of captain.
The Northampton Saints hooker has since led England to successive Six Nations titles and for many, his abrasive style has come to embody Jones' new-look England.
However, Sanderson feels the England squad has evolved to the point that the collective team ethos would not be negatively impacted by Hartley's demotion to the bench.
"My view is the progression of England, the next stage of English rugby, has Jamie George in the No 2 shirt and the days of niggle are important but probably second now to intelligent, physical, hard-working rugby players.
"I don't think there's any dispute around who has the better set piece, who has the higher work rate, who has the more involvement in the game. I think Jamie George is a better, more intelligent rugby player than Dylan Hartley.
"But what Dylan has done for England and represented is that physical edge. Jamie has had to change perception and prove to Eddie and everyone that he can stand up and fulfil that role as well.
"I think over the last 12 months he's proved that he can do that.
"There are many ways to lead and one way is to be the first man over the top with the bayonet on and to lead the troops that way and it's very impactful and very visible to players around them but it's very short term," Sanderson added.
"What you really want is the person who has good intelligent people skills, who will deal with people on an individual basis, who will get the best out of the people around them, but not leading from the front but from behind.
"That kind of leadership is sustainable and it really just comes down to the progression of England and Eddie's view.
"Eddie is an incredibly smart bloke, make no mistake about it, and he'll have a short, medium and long-term plan. His short-term plan had Dylan Hartley at the heart of it. He wanted to get that bite and that backbone into the England side.
"I have also no doubt that Eddie will have a medium and long-term plan that's sustainable and sustainable leadership comes from within, from the quiet word spoken in the training room, not the fastest guy that runs from the tunnel."
In the latest duel between the hookers competing for England's top spot, a Saracens side featuring George beat Hartley's Northampton 57-13 in the last round of the European Champions Cup.
Sanderson concluded: "If there's a question mark over Jamie George and I don't know if it's correct or not, it would be that he hasn't measured up physically to Dylan and I think over the last 12 months you can't say that Dylan has got that on Jamie George any longer."
