Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley discovers soon if he has any chance of leading England into the Six Nations when he faces a disciplinary panel following his latest red-card incident. PHOTO/ GETTY IMAGES
Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley discovers soon if he has any chance of leading England into the Six Nations when he faces a disciplinary panel following his latest red-card incident. PHOTO/ GETTY IMAGES
Local rugby legend Hika Reid has backed Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley to lead England in the Six Nations and next year's Lions tour.
The former All Black's support comes as Hartley, a former Rotorua Boys' High School student, faces a disciplinary panel following his latest red-card.
The Northampton and England hooker was sent off for a swinging arm to the back of Leinster flanker Sean O'Brien's head just six minutes after coming on as a second-half replacement in Friday night's crushing home defeat to the three-time European champions.
Dylan Hartley of Northampton Saints walks from the pitch after being shown a red card during the European Rugby Champions Cup match between Northampton Saints and Leinster Rugby PHOTO/ GETTY IMAGES
The 30-year-old, viewed by some as a controversial appointment as England captain but who has led his team to 13 successive international victories, looks certain to receive a substantial ban. This could threaten his Six Nations participation, scheduled to kick off against France on February 4.
Reid would not comment on the red-card incident but said the England side could be affected "badly" if Hartley was absent and had his captain's armband removed.
"I personally can't speak about the incident. I'm not condoning what he has done in any way and if has to miss the Six Nations then Dylan has to take the sentence on the chin and move on," Reid said.
"But it must be remembered that Eddie [Jones] and the selectors obviously have seen some great leadership qualities in him. The captain is the man you trust - they convey the coaches' messages and team plan on the field.
"England have been playing very strongly recently and this is a reflection of Dylan's captaincy. The team would certainly be missing a central cog in the team if he wasn't there."
Local rugby legend Hika Reid has backed Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley of leading England into the Six Nations and next year's Lions tour. PHOTO/FILE
The entry point suspension for striking an opponent with the arm is two weeks but with Hartley's disciplinary record - banned for a total of 54 weeks for a combination of gouging, head-butting, biting, abusing a referee and punching - he could face a far lengthier ban.
Reid said Hartley still needed to smooth out some "rough edges" but added refereeing in the modern game had become "too harsh" on players.
"If you look at it on paper it doesn't read very well for Hartley in some respects but aggression is part of his game," said Reid. "Dylan is a confrontational sort of player- but you have to ask yourself if he wasn't that way would he be as successful?
"Perhaps Dylan needs to take a pause and ask himself is aggression costing him? I personally think he may need to smooth the edges off his game a little but very rarely do you want to take aggression out when playing.
"He is an intelligent player and this is simply how he plays. This is a contact sport - aggression is part of the game. I feel refereeing has become too harsh in modern times."
Any hope Hartley had of being named captain for next year's Lions tour to New Zealand now appears slim.
But Reid insisted if the Lions wanted to stand "any chance of winning" they would need a player such as Hartley at the helm.
"For the Lions to do well in New Zealand they will have to play an aggressive game," Reid said. "They could do very well with Hartley at the helm. It will be a hard tour and they will need hard men to stand up and make themselves accountable.
"I've followed Dylan's career closely and have a lot of respect for him. I have nothing but praise for the player."
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), who organise the European Champions Cup, confirmed on Saturday that Hartley's disciplinary hearing will take place within the next five days.
