From Saint to sinner and back

YOU KNOW you’re in trouble when an interview starts with a list of questions that are off-limits.

But as Dylan Hartley firmly says, “look, no questions on the World Cup, okay?” you realise this is a man who has changed over the last few months. Always a little wary of the media, Hartley’s demeanour now resembles the human version of a door being slammed in your face.

In many ways, it is not surprising. The majority of the England squad came back from the World Cup in New Zealand with an almost allergic reaction to the Fourth Estate for daring to report on Mike Tindall’s night out with dwarves and more statuesque blondes, the abandoning of ferries mid-voyage and, in Hartley’s case, alleged lewd comments made to a female hotel worker. Occasionally, we had to report on the rugby as well, but that was just as ugly as any of the disastrous events off the pitch.

And so it is that Hartley approaches questions relating to the start of the Heineken Cup as if stepping through a minefield.

Back in May, it was all very different. Then, it appeared Hartley would be captaining his Northampton Saints side to Heineken Cup glory as they led Leinster 22-6 at half-time the Cardiff final. Leinster’s unanswered 27-point second-half display could even be traced as the moment where Hartley’s problems started.

As it is, a trip to Ireland for Saturday’s opener with Munster offers him and his side a first step towards redemption. Rugby challenges he can deal with; those off the pitch trouble him more. And as he warms to his task, it is clear there is much work to be done if Hartley and his team-mates are to banish the painful memories of the past six months.

“You get opportunities such as playing in a Heineken Cup Final very rarely, and we came up short against Leinster,” says the hooker. “I still wake up having nightmares about that game, I still think ‘what if?’.

“But what better way to put that game behind us than in this campaign? Maybe we had to lose before we could win. Our first game this year is against Munster, and I like to look at them as an example — they lost two Heineken Cup finals before they won one. We have our eyes on a big prize now, and we know that we are seen as a scalp for sides. Quarter-finalists in our first year back, finalists last year — teams will try and raise their game against us, but this is the best club competition in the world and you have to beat the best to win it. The pressure is on us to perform, week in and week out. It’s a very tough pool — Castres are going well in France, and Scarlets had a lot of quality players away at the World Cup. It won’t be easy.”

But what of Munster, the side that played a large part in Saints’ evolution by beating them twice in 2009/10? Are they still the force they were?

“We know Thomond well — we’ve lost there twice,” says Hartley. “We want to change that. We learnt from those losses. We nearly went all the way but didn’t finish the job. Now we aim to crack on and win. And I wouldn’t agree Munster have dropped off at all. They have depth, similarly to us. We recruited really well and had eight players at the World Cup. Their numbers will be similar and they have a big squad. We know the Irish teams like to concentrate on the Heineken Cup. It will be a huge challenge.”

Ah, the World Cup. It’s hardly surprising Hartley doesn’t want to talk about it. Firstly, he lost his place to Phil Thompson. Secondly, he was one of the players photographed with dwarves on the infamous night in Queenstown. And thirdly, he, Chris Ashton and James Haskell were reprimanded for those lewd comments.

But I have to ask him. Is he still disappointed? Did he learn anything from the experience? “I have learnt in all areas,” he acknowledges, slowly. “It’s experience, isn’t it? You get a year older, you play in a World Cup, a Heineken Cup, a Premiership campaign — you are always going to learn things. I have taken stuff from what happened. There has been a comedown, being out of that World Cup circle. All I can do is put it behind me.”

So what about Martin Johnson and his role as manager of the team? “ All I can say is that in New Zealand, Johnno stuck by me and the players, so the players will stick by him.”

Then comes a look that makes it plain the interview is going no further, followed by a weak smile and handshake. Ultimately, Hartley is a fine player and a maturing character who bruised by his England experience. Munster will have to hope he does not take his frustrations out on them.