Bad boy Dylan Hartley gets England all clear

Dylan Hartley may be rugby's bad boy, but he looks certain to start for against in two weeks' time.
hooker Hartley, the biggest serial offender in international rugby, was this week described as world class by England forwards coach Graham Rowntree.
And Rowntree categorically rejected any suggestion that Hartley's England future is in jeopardy, or that he has been issued with a final warning by head coach Stuart Lancaster after serving a  three-week ban for elbowing back Matt Smith in the face.
“Never – he has got a lot of credit in the bank, has Dylan,” said Rowntree.
Pressed on whether Hartley had been told it was his last chance in a pro career which has seen him serve almost a year in disciplinary bans, Rowntree added:  “It has never been mentioned. Stuart will sit down with him, I have spoken to him already.
“Stuart sits down with all the guys as they come into camp and has one-on-ones with them. We will keep addressing the subject with him and help him through it.”
Hartley's rap-sheet – which includes bans for eye-gouging, biting, fighting and verbal abuse of a referee – is under scrutiny in the build-up to the match in which sees England and Wales renew their fierce rivalry. Rowntree acknowledges that a high stakes encounter between two sides who also go head-to-head in the 2015 ‘pool of death', will be even more of a challenge for Hartley because of the potential for the hair-trigger hooker to be goaded by the Welsh.
“They will have seen his record and potentially will try and encourage him to do something wrong. A lot of players have to deal with that.
“I don't encourage our players to sledge, but, if it happens to you, you have to deal with it. Just get on with your game.
“We have got to hold his hand and help him through.  We are not going to cast him aside.”
Rowntree believes that if Hartley succeeds in concentrating on his game he is a hooker without peer, as he proved when accused him of being a “choker” in the same fixture four years ago.
“Gatland called him out before the game, didn't he? And he apologised to him afterwards – I was there when he did. I thought Dylan was man of the match in that game, the way he dealt with that pressure, the way he got on with his job.”
Hartley's disciplinary issues – he was sin-binned yesterday – do not mean he is playing second fiddle to his resurgent Leicester rival, Tom Youngs, for the No.2 shirt against Wales.
Rowntree said: “You can't hide away from what Dylan brings to the group in terms of leadership. You could see it at the weekend in that game – his small talk and the way he is bringing guys in – his energy.
“His set-piece is immaculate. In the autumn series our lineout was 94 per cent – the highest it's been – a lot of that's down to Dylan's throwing.”
Rowntree added: “He is a very good scrummager, good at dealing with pressure. Good at dealing with when your tighthead is compromised and good at still being able to hook the ball.
“Since that new scrum engagement has been in for 18 months you have seen hooking back – and in those live sessions you have got to be able to do it.”

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