Hartley to continue

WILLWAMS BOBBY BENTON WITH PLEASURE ALKHOR STARLIT CANTATA QUINTUS CERIALIS ARIZONA SNOW DYLAN Hartley will be allowed to continue as England captain by the Rugby Football Union regardless of the outcome of the hearing that threatens to curtail his RBS 6 Nations participation.

Hartley will discover on Wednesday afternoon the length of the suspension he must serve after being sent off for landing a swinging arm on the head of Sean O’Brien in Northampton’s defeat by Leinster.

Champions Cup organisers have confirmed that the 30-year-old has been charged with striking, entailing a five-week suspension for a mid-range offence and eight weeks if the infringement is considered high-end.

An appalling disciplinary record comprising of 54 weeks of bans for misdemeanours including biting, gouging and butting are likely to result in an increase to the sanction imposed and he could be unavailable when France visit Twickenham on February 4.

RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie, however, points to Hartley’s superb leadership during an unblemished run of 13 successive Test victories to explain why he should remain at the helm.

“I think Dylan’s got credit in the bank,” Ritchie told BBC Sport.

“I think most people would say it’s been a fantastic year. We’ve had 13 wins out of 13 and Dylan has made a huge contribution and he should be allowed to continue that.

“Dylan has clearly played a fantastic part in captaining the team, on and off the pitch just to be clear. His leadership credentials are very strong. He’s made a huge contribution.

“So you view all these things in perspective and in perspective one looks at the totality of what he’s done and what’s happened over the years. I think we should be supportive of that.”

The biggest call of Eddie Jones’ one-year reign has been to appoint Hartley as captain.