Tall man as he is, Martin Johnson casts a long shadow. England have had 14 captains since he retired from Test rugby in January 2004 and none has managed to own the job as he did. While Ireland have had Paul O’Connell, New Zealand Richie McCaw, and France Thierry Dusautoir, England haven’t had a talismanic leader since Johnson quit.
Some of his successors were only stand-ins: Mike Catt, Pat Sanderson, Nick Easter and Tom Wood. Others only served a short while: Lawrence Dallaglio, too old to go on long in his second stint; Jonny Wilkinson, who was supposed to have the job in the long term but was always injured; Jason Robinson, who replaced him, and Mike Tindall. Then there were the ones who got a longer run: Martin Corry, Steve Borthwick, Phil Vickery, Lewis Moody. All played at least 10 games as captain. Finally there was Chris Robshaw, who led for longer than any of them, 42 Tests, three more than Johnson, and second only to Will Carling, who did 59.
Now it is Dylan Hartley’s turn. He isn’t likely to grow to be another Johnson. It has been too long a time since he played outstandingly well for England. But he is a natural leader. Northampton made him captain when he was only 23, in their very first season after they were promoted to the Premiership in 2008. He was one of the youngest captains in the history of the league. And he was already on that list of England skippers.
He took over for a single Test on tour in South Africa in 2012, when Robshaw broke his finger. So Stuart Lancaster agreed that Hartley had the necessaries. But he was too hot-headed for Lancaster’s taste, and besides he was often fighting Tom Youngs for his spot in the starting XV. Instead Lancaster stuck with Robshaw, who was in charge so long it was a little odd to see him back in the ranks. He is a good man, an underrated and industrious player. This week, he spoke up for his successor then stuck his head down and got on with his new job on the blindside.
Jones has always been pretty clear that he wanted Hartley to lead his team, at least early on in his new regime. Jones was a feisty hooker himself back in his playing days, and he and Hartley obviously get on. They’re both quick-lipped, love to laugh and quip. Both believe it’s important for the players to be able to enjoy a drink together. “It is about the significance of sharing a beer with someone after a hard day’s work,” Hartley said after England’s win against Scotland. “We’ve done that, we’ve eaten out. We’ve been trusted to do our own thing and act like grown-ups and the squad has responded well. We will do the same tonight.”
Jones promised the squad would enjoy a few “five-star” beers together back at their hotel. And while each is devoted to the sport, neither takes the peripheral business of the professional game too seriously. “I tried not to get caught up in all the bullshit,” Hartley said of the pre-match ceremonies. “Leading the team out, the introductions.”
Hartley didn’t bother giving a big speech before kick-off. Partly because “there was 16 minutes from the warm-up to the actual start of the game”, but largely because it is just not his style. “Everyone looked after themselves. That was my key message: ‘boys make sure you are in the right place to do your job, I’ll do my job, and we’ll see how we go.’”
He said in the run-up to the match his main worry was his own form. His first job was to strengthen England’s play at the set pieces. This, Jones told him, was a “non-negotiable”. Hartley’s work at the lineout was accurate, and England only lost one of their 15 throws. Their scrummaging was a little shakier, but as the game wore on, it started to come together.
“In terms of set piece we always want to seek dominance but it is not going to come in the first 10, 20, 30 minutes,” Hartley said. “It is always going to creak in the second half, so we stuck at it and when it mattered we got some dividends there.” He pointed to the two penalties they won from scrums in similar positions in the second half.
So in the short term, Hartley was a good pick. He has been given the job for this Six Nations. Beyond that, Jones wants to cultivate a group of leaders, which is why he picked three vice-captains, Billy Vunipola, Mike Brown, and Owen Farrell. Hartley also spoke about the conversations he had with George Ford, who took charge of the team’s tactics in the final quarter.
In the end, when Hartley went off with four minutes to play, it was Farrell who took over as captain, “simply to save Billy’s lungs”, Hartley explained. He had played “a bloody hell of an 80, right to the last minute”. In the long term, Jones may be thinking of giving the job to Vunipola, who is only 23.
He’s not a great talker, either, but Jones clearly believes he can become a great player: “He can be the best No8 in the world, I have no doubt about that.” Jones is planning to build his team around him. It is a long way off yet, but if Jones’s hunch is right, Vunipola may yet grow into the talismanic leader England have been looking for.
