Why Dylan Hartley's appointment as England Captain is the right one

In case you missed it earlier England Rugby announced on social media that Eddie Jones had selected Dylan Hartley as Chris Robshaw's successor as England captain, a decision that, as expected was met with a mixed reaction from England fans. Many people have slammed the Northampton hooker, who has spent a total of 54 weeks of his sidelined for offences such as gouging, verbally abusing a referee and biting, as being a poor example for younger players. However others are commending Jones on his decision to name Hartley as captain due to his proven leadership qualities from his time as Northampton captain. This is without a doubt a huge period of transition for English rugby, so here's a few reasons why we believe Jones has made the correct decision in appointing Dylan Hartley as England captain.

Dylan Hartley has been announced as England's new captain for the
2016 Six Nations replacing Chris Robshaw.

Proven Leadership Qualities
There's absolutely no doubt that Hartley possesses the skills required to lead a team at international level, having been captain of Northampton Saints from 2009 to eventually leading them to the Premiership title in 2014, a captaincy that is also the longest in the club's 130-year history. Hartley also became the youngest ever captain in Premiership history when he was named Saints captain in 2009 at the tender age of 23. Hartley has also shown he can lead an England team, filling in for Chris Robshaw in 2012 in England's 14-all draw with South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Hartley will certainly command respect from his teammates and shows all the credentials of being a great leader on the international stage.

Hartley captained Northampton Saints to the Aviva Premiership
in May 2014.

Bags of International Experience
With 66 England caps to his name Hartley is one of the most experienced players at international level in Eddie Jones' current England squad. This was a huge talking point when Chris Robshaw was named England captain in 2012 with only a single international cap to his name. However experience on the international stage is not something Hartley lacks in, making his official England debut against the Pacific Islanders XV in 2008 and making his first start in an England jersey in June 2009 against Argentina.

Perfect Fit for Jones' New Playing Style
It's no secret that Eddie Jones wants to bring in a new playing style to the England squad which will hopefully fire England back to the top of International Rugby, particularly in the forwards, and Dylan Hartley fits in perfectly with this new, aggressive and dominant style of rugby Jones is planning on bringing to the squad. It's also no secret that the forward pack was a huge problem for England during last years World Cup, so Jones will be hoping that Hartley can spearhead this England pack during the Six Nations and dominate the opposition in the scrum, line-outs and at the breakdown.

Fatherhood
A few of you may be scratching your heads as to why we have factored in that Dylan is a father in to this article, however having become a father to a baby girl in August 2015 this may have been the kick up the backside Hartley needed in proving his doubters wrong, turning his career around and rebuilding his repuation. There's no question that Hartley wears his heart on his sleeve and his disciplinary record doesn't make for good reading and this will no doubt have many people wondering whether he is the right man for the job. But, and this is a big but, one of the main responsibilities in being a father is being a good role model for your children. With this in mind Hartley will most likely think twice about biting, headbutting, elbowing and verbally abusing a referee on the pitch, we'd like to think so anyway.

Hartley became a father in August 2015, he celebrated by
posting this picture on Twitter.

It's time to wipe the slate clean and look forward, this is a fresh start for English rugby with a new-look squad, new coaches and now a new captain in Dylan Hartley, it's time for us as fans to stop bringing up and dwelling on things that have happened in the past and get behind our country and our new captain and look forward to the Six Nations next month.