Dylan Hartley has been warned his international career may be over even if he manages to curb the reckless side of his game that has earned him an aggregate career ban of more than a year.
The Northampton and England hooker will miss the World Cup after receiving a four-match suspension for foul play and Stuart Lancaster, his patience snapped by his recidivism, is looking to the next generation of players in the position.
Jamie George, the Saracens player who felt the force of Hartley’s head during the Premiership semi-final, filled the vacancy in the training squad, joining another uncapped hooker, Exeter’s Luke Cowan-Dickie, who starts for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.
“There is a very real possibility that Dylan could find himself out of the squad for good,” Lancaster said. “There are so many impressive young players in the country who are pushing their way through and the next generation of hookers are good: as well as Luke and Jamie, Tommy Taylor has been hugely impressive.
“Anyone who is not selected for a playing reason or gives up the shirt for a disciplinary reason faces the possibility that they do not make it back. All the players are aware of that. They know they have to be at their best every day. Luke has a big chance against the Barbarians and Jamie has done so well for Saracens that he started the Premiership final for them. He has always been good in the set pieces, but he has stepped up his physicality in the loose.”
Lancaster had no hesitation in removing Hartley once he realised the hooker would not be available for the World Cup opener against Fiji. “There was no choice,” he said. “We could have lost another hooker to injury before the game and while we could have had a prop covering the position, can you imagine the scene if he has to come on after 20 minutes and we lose?
“It would have been an unbelievable risk and would have contravened tournament regulations that stipulate that you must have an entire replacement front row. It will be crystal clear to the players that it’s hugely important to have self-discipline and self-control on and off the field. When we get into camp I will go through the positives of being an England player but also some of the things they need to be aware of. I do not think what has happened to Dylan or Manu Tuilagi recently shows any weakness in our culture. People will always make mistakes.”
Lancaster admits England will miss Hartley’s expertise at the set pieces. “We have to do a lot of work in that area. We have been operating in the high 90s percentage wise in the lineout and there is no doubt Dylan is a very good set-piece hooker, but by the end of the Six Nations we were having long debates about whether he or Tom Youngs would start.”
Cowan-Dickie will not be the only player to have everything to play for against the Barbarians. Danny Cipriani gets his first start under Lancaster while Henry Slade and Elliot Daly will be outside him as the head coach looks to combine Northampton’s set-piece strength with Saracens’ defensive prowess and Bath’s attacking threat.
“It will be a good opportunity for Danny,” Lancaster said. “He is totally clear about how we want to play the game and he needs to demonstrate he can do it consistently in training and in matches. He can play at 10 or 15, Henry can play in three positions and Owen Farrell is an option at 10 or 12. Versatility in the World Cup is vitally important because you cannot replace players who have minor injuries.
“In terms of style, I do not think how we played in the final match of the Six Nations against France was a one-off, but one thing we did not get right was conceding 35 points. In an ideal world, if you took the strengths of all our top clubs and moulded them into one that is what you want England to be.”
