Dylan Hartley: Happy in the new set up

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Hartley praise for Lancaster regime

Hooker Dylan Hartley believes interim England head coach Stuart Lancaster has brought “a breath of fresh air” to the England camp.

Lancaster has thrown his name into the hat for the permanent position for which the Rugby Football Union will open their interview process after the Six Nations championship and Hartley’s comments on Wednesday could be seen as tacit support for the incumbent coach.

Hartley welcomed Saints boss Jim Mallinder’s decision not to go for the job, and to commit to his role as Northampton director of rugby, as a win-win situation.

“I think that is perfect,” said Hartley, the Northampton hooker who was made club captain by Mallinder in 2009.

“I am very happy with the (England) regime under Stuart. My home and club life is perfect. Wherever I am, I am going to be happy playing rugby.

“We believe in Stuart. He is doing a fantastic job. The whole change has been a breath of fresh air,” Hartley said.

“I am not saying the old camp was wrong but this is a transition period, we have four years to rebuild (before the 2015 World Cup on home soil), and we are doing the right things.

“We are two from two.

“In the whole set-up, stability is important.”

England return to Twickenham for the first time since the World Cup when they clash with unbeaten Wales on Saturday and Hartley is excited to showcase the new-look team on home soil.

“This is a perfect chance for us, a real chance to get the support of the nation right behind us,” added Hartley.

“We have a chance to play in front of our own fans, do the shirt justice and get the nation behind us.

“The lads will put everything in. There will be 100 per cent effort and commitment like we showed against Scotland.

“Hopefully we will play with the composure we had against Italy, when we came back from nine points down to win, and we want to put more emphasis on our attacking game.

“They are a team in form. We will be underdogs. I don’t mind that.

“People were writing us off against Scotland saying we didn’t have the experience. You read that as players and think, ‘We will prove them wrong’.

“We are quietly driven to do well.”