5 Reasons Dylan Hartley Is a Risky Pick as England Captain

Dylan Hartley’s appointment as England captain has split fans over whether he has the credentials for the job ahead of the RBS Six Nations.

On the one hand, the hooker was sorely missed in the 2015 World Cup, and without his edge, aggression and set-piece quality, England’s pack was a neutered beast.

All of those attributes will be vital to restoring the Red Rose forward unit to its former, fearsome glory.

But picking Hartley as the man to lead that revitalisation is seen to be too much of a gamble by some who cite his poor disciplinary record. The Northampton Saints man has spent 54 weeks of his career banned for six different on-field offences.

And that is before you consider the possibility the 29-year-old may not be the best in his position.

Let's have a look at the five risk factors that England head coach Eddie Jones has rolled the dice on.

Hartley has a patchy history with match officials.

His most publicised incident of foul-mouthed behaviour towards an official was in the 2013 Premiership final, when Wayne Barnes showed him a red card for calling him a “f--king cheat,” per Paul Rees of the Guardian.

Hartley missed the the British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia that summer as a result.

New Zealand-born Hartley would be the first to admit to having a short fuse.

And it has seen him explode on the field at times, such as the headbutt he aimed at Jamie George in last season’s Premiership semi-final that cost him a place at the World Cup, or the elbow on Leicester Tigers' Matt Smith that earned him a ban, per the Independent.

He can ill-afford those flashpoint moments as captain of his country.

Hartley has not been the automatic pick for Northampton all season. He has had a concussion to recover from and was still not selected immediately on his return to full fitness.

He also has Saracens’ Jamie George breathing down his neck and in fine form, and it was a surprise to many to see Leicester hooker Tom Youngs jettisoned completely by Eddie Jones.

Austin Healey wrote in the Telegraph:

Whatever criteria you employ to judge a hooker, Youngs is ahead of Hartley. He carries more, and he is a better thrower. He also doesn’t cost his team through a rush of blood to the head or get sent off. 

[...]

He has started one match in two months for Northampton and was not particularly good then. It is astounding then that he is being selected ahead of England’s best hooker on the basis of no form and a history that is more chequered than the Formula One flags. 

Former England head coach Stuart Lancaster stuck with Chris Robshaw as captain when his back row may have been better balanced by a different selection.

Eddie Jones could quickly be under pressure to make a change if George continues to outshine the Northampton man and Youngs goes well for his club, but he may already have painted himself into a similar corner as his predecessor.

Because of his track record, opposition players may well see Hartley as a soft target when it comes to winding him up.

He needs to keep his cool in those heated moments when a scrum splinters or a stray elbow is thrown in a rolling maul.

Let's not forget, he will go head to head with another hooker and new captain in the shape of Ireland's Rory Best in the Six Nations.

The Ulsterman is another who has locked horns with Hartley and seen the Englishman banned as a result, and Best has prior knowledge of how to press his buttons.

In his first official function as England captain, Hartley was attending the Six Nations launch, and he immediately bristled at a question from the event host Andrew Cotter, per Joe Ridge of the Daily Mail.

Ridge wrote: "'Everyone else got to talk about their teams but we get to talk about me,' quipped the England captain with a wry smile—but the stare was prolonged enough to let his feelings be known."

As the saying goes, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Hartley is going to have to accept that his record will continue to be a point of reference during his early days as skipper, and he must learn to slip questions rather than return fire.