Tuesday 9 May 2017 10:09, UK
Jamie George says Dylan Hartley was one of the first to congratulate him when he was named in the British and Irish Lions squad, despite the England captain being left out himself.
Hartley missed out along with international team-mates Joe Launchbury, Mike Brown and James Haskell but George, who has never started a Test, revealed he received a text from his fellow hooker shortly after Warren Gatland's selection was announced.
"Dylan was one of the first people to text me after the announcement to say congratulations. That's the kind of bloke he is," George told Sky Sports News HQ.
"He was really happy for me but obviously he's going to be disappointed on a personal level."
A heated exchange two seasons ago saw Hartley dropped from England's 2015 World Cup squad after head-butting George during a tie between Northampton and Saracens - an incident the pair have since put behind them.
"He just said that he'd keep the England ball rolling in Argentina. I'm really grateful for the message," George explained.
The 26-year-old spoke of his enjoyment of the squad's first get-together on Monday but admitted the timing of the gathering was difficult for rugby union club Saracens, ahead of their Champion Cup final against Clermont Auvergne on Saturday, which is live on Sky Sports.
Lions head coach Gatland defended the timing of the meet-up and thanked both Saracens and Gloucester for releasing players to attend the Lions' "messy Monday", where they received their kit for the upcoming tour to New Zealand.
But Sarries boss Mark McCall branded the schedule of the event as "unbelievable", having cancelled Monday's training session as six of his players attended the squad meeting.
George, who has 17 caps to his name, added: "Obviously it's not ideal for the preparation. I think it was probably a tough one for both Sarries and the Lions.
"I think it was an opportunity that we couldn't miss. It was such a great occasion and I'm happy we were able to do it. It is what it is now - we'll train for the next two days then go to Murrayfield on Friday.
"We've got plenty of time for our preparation so I think it will be okay."
The 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from June 3
