Hartley all grown up and ready for work

THE old adage that a leopard never changes its spots has been tested to the full in the case of Dylan Hartley during the past six weeks.

Warren Gatland tried to unsettle the England hooker in the pre-match war of words, so too Andy Robinson.

The fact that Declan Kidney has not joined their number ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Slam clash in Dublin demonstrates that both the Welsh and Scottish coaches were wasting their time — Hartley is all grown up.

Of course, most people mature between the ages of 20 and 24, but Hartley has had to do so in the public eye.

An outside bet for England’s 2007 World Cup squad, a six-month ban for eye gouging left him with a tarnished reputation, hindering an undeniable talent.

That he has recovered to be one of this young England team’s leaders is as surprising as when you contrast his relaxed, jovial off-field demeanour to the ruthless individual who steps across the whitewash.

The time he spent with psychologist Steve Peters in the aftermath of that suspension has clearly paid dividends.

And as Hartley sits in the garden of England’s luxury hotel yesterday, he admits that he is happy to take the flak from opposition coaches if it means his team-mates don’t have to.

“With that Wales game and what was said before (when Gatland said he would ‘choke’ in Cardiff) I felt I turned quite a big corner,” said Hartley. “I have been happy with how things have been going. I am just surprised that I haven’t had anything said about me by the opposition camp this week. That is unusual but quite nice.

“Is it a sign of respect when opposition coaches target you? Well maybe it is, but then I guess I should be worried as no-one has been saying anything about me ahead of the Ireland game.

“But I’m happy as it means I can get my head down and just focus on doing my bit for the team.”

But one subject which is no laughing matter is the prospect of England winning their first Grand Slam in eight years. Martin Johnson’s team has been energised by the emergence of outstanding talents such as Ben Youngs, Chris Ashton and Tom Wood but as an example of his willingness to trust in youth, you need only look at the front row of Hartley, Dan Cole and Alex Corbisiero.

With an average age of 23, they are already the youngest front row in England’s history.

Just as importantly, though, they do not know what it is like to be second-best. The feeling in the camp is that, in the eight long years since the World Cup triumph of 2003, victory in Dublin would be a vital step in the development of a team that finally has a winning mentality to match that which Johnson captained.

“The goal for us is to be prepared for the World Cup,” explains Hartley, the Northampton Saints captain.

“We are well aware that these opportunities don’t come around very often. We are desperate (to win the Grand Slam). There is motivation for both teams but I think ours is greater.

“I’m sure that will be going through the mind of every England player and that it will bring out the best in these boys.”

Hartley will not fall into the same trap as both Gatland and Robinson, though, by goading the opposition.

Indeed, he makes it clear that he believes this could have been a Grand Slam decider, feeling that Ireland should have beaten both France and Wales, to whom they have lost by a combined total of nine points.

“Ireland have been very close. They were hard done by with Wales’ (illegal) winning try last weekend and some of those frustrations may, unfortunately for us, come out on Saturday.

“They have young players such as Sean O’Brien and then talismanic figures like Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell, so it’s not an easy task. But we have been to Wales and won, and if we do our jobs we will be fine.

“We are confident and we have all the motivation you could want.

“I don’t care if we go over there and win 3-0, as long as we get the job done.