England may be one game away from equalling top-tier rugby’s all-time world record of 18 straight Test victories but their captain would love to press the rewind button. Dylan Hartley acknowledges his side should have reacted more swiftly to Italy’s unorthodox ruck tactics last Sunday and plans to “mug up” on the laws to prevent any possible repeat.
While his head coach, Eddie Jones, continues to insist the Azzurri’s approach at Twickenham did the sport no favours, Hartley accepts England, despite winning 36-15, were too slow to respond to the visitors’ unexpected policy of standing off at defensive breakdowns to disrupt their hosts’ rhythm. “We have looked at scenarios where if it happens again we can react more quickly,” said the Northampton hooker. “Hindsight is a bitch but if I could go back I would have seen what was happening earlier and dealt with it earlier. It took too long in the first half and that’s my fault … it won’t happen again.”
The Italians’ decision not to contest the ball after making a tackle meant a ruck was often not formed, technically removing the offside line and giving the visitors licence to stand between the English half-backs. Hartley and James Haskell were reduced to asking the French referee Romain Poite to clarify the situation and the England skipper said it had been a salutary experience. “For me it’s a good lesson to brush up on the laws and know my stuff,” conceded Hartley, speaking in Oxford, where his squad have opted to train this week. “I don’t actually possess a law book but maybe I should get one. I looked in my hotel room and there’s a Bible next to the bed. I should probably replace that.
“I was trying to figure out what was happening. I was confused. Sometimes I saw one or two blue shirts in a ruck and thought it was a ruck but it wasn’t until I saw Edoardo Gori standing in our passing channel that I [realised] what was going on. I questioned the ref but I couldn’t change his mind. So I just rolled with it and we found a way to play around it.”
Next time around England will be forewarned and will retaliate with a concerted pick-and-go strategy, attacking straight down the middle and forcing defenders to engage. “If it happens again we will be well tooled-up to deal with it,” Hartley said. “It’s been addressed, the scenario is covered and we have learned from it. I think we all know that law now. It was a surprise tactic and it had full effect. But we scored six tries and took five points and a win against difficult opposition. It’s now three wins from three and we move on.”
Victory over Scotland on Saturday week would draw England level with New Zealand’s all-time world record for successive Test wins but despite the relative lack of physicality in the Italian fixture – the usual number of rucks was reduced by two thirds – Hartley believes his side are well set as they look to win potential back-to-back grand slams. “I remember at the start of this tournament everyone was saying this is the most open tournament there’s ever been. If we’ve won three games from three in an open tournament, we’re in a pretty good place, aren’t we? That’s not luck. We’ve earned that.
“You bump into people who say: ‘You were lucky at the weekend.’ I want to abolish luck. You make your own luck by training bloody hard in the week. Look at the try that won us the Wales game. George Ford to Owen Farrell to Elliot Daly … all those guys started and yet those passes were pinpoint at 76 minutes under fatigue. I watch the way those guys train. There’s no luck there. We’ve had to earn every victory so far and we’re going to have to earn another one next week against a confident, quality side.”
Two more wins this month would also, on paper at least, make England the most successful team in the history of tier one world rugby but Hartley insists it is not his squad’s principal focus: “Winning next week would just be another step in the progress of the team. We’re not concerned about records. They’re a nice shiny thing to attach to it; maybe when I’ll retire I’ll dine out on it.”
Joe Launchbury missed training on Wednesday because of illness, with his Wasps colleague James Haskell also unable to play a full part.
