England captain Dylan Hartley backed by Ben Youngs
Tuesday 26 January 2016 20:55, UK
Leicester and England scrum-half Ben Youngs says new captain Dylan Hartley will have the full support of his team-mates.
Northampton hooker Hartley was named England skipper by coach Eddie Jones on Monday, in place of Chris Robshaw, as they look to rebuild after a disappointing World Cup campaign on home soil.
Given a poor disciplinary record that has seen him miss more than a year out of the game in total due to suspensions, Hartley was not a universally popular choice as skipper.
But Youngs insists he can take the team forward, supported by other senior players in the squad.
"The boys will now back Dylan and do all we can to support him in his new role," Youngs told Sky Sports News HQ.
"He is just trying to find his feet as England captain and anything we can do to help as players, we will.
"Leaders will naturally lead. Dylan will run out first and make decisions on the pitch and have communication with the ref.
"I am sure Chris [Robshaw] will still have a role, he has a huge amount of experience, and it would be silly not to use that.
"Responsibility gives you new goals and targets. For him [Hartley], I am sure it is about working hard and setting an example of how to conduct yourself on and off the pitch.
"He has the opportunity to do that now."
Making Dylan captain is definitely a statement of intent. It's a decision that shows we're going to be confrontational, and that's the way we want it.
Leicester hooker Tom Youngs was left out of Jones' first training squad but his brother Ben has backed him to work hard in a bid to reclaim his place.
"Tom does what he does and just works hard and he is looking forward to the challenge of proving [the decision] wrong," added Ben Youngs.
"He is back at the club, working hard, and is co-captain with Ed Slater and doing a great job there. His challenge is to try and get recognised for the summer tour [a three-Test series in Australia in June].
"Tom is a determined bloke and will work hard to do his best to try and make it back within the squad."
Meanwhile, Hartley's Saints team-mate Courtney Lawes has also offered his support to the new national skipper.
"Making Dylan captain is definitely a statement of intent," he said. It's a decision that shows we're going to be confrontational, and that's the way we want it.
"We're going back to our roots, our fundamentals of the game, for a big scrum and maul, and tough defence.
"We want to make sure that when teams play England they really know they're in a game."
