Tuesday 22 March 2016 12:13, UK
England captain Dylan Hartley has admitted he cannot remember lifting the Six Nations trophy in Paris on Saturday night.
Hartley was presented with the silverware at the Stade de France after England completed the Grand Slam by defeating France 31-21.
The 29-year-old hooker had returned to the pitch following the final whistle after he was knocked unconscious during a tackle with home prop Uini Atonio in the 68th minute.
Hartley told The Sun: "It's a great feeling to say you're a Grand Slam winner... I just wish I could remember lifting that trophy in Paris!
"After being knocked out and taken off on a stretcher I can't remember any celebrations. I can't remember the trophy presentation, the victory lap or seeing my auntie and uncle in the crowd.
"It's a weird feeling so I've been looking at a lot of photos to piece it all together and there are bits coming back to me.
"When I came round on the pitch, I tried to convince the medical staff that I was fine and hadn't been knocked out but they were quite rightly having none of it."
Despite being unable to remember the occasion, Hartley fully appreciates what the England team have achieved under Eddie Jones in completing the Grand Slam for the first time since 2003.
He added: "It's a huge honour to be England's 10th Grand Slam skipper and become only the 13th side in history to do this.
"But the credit has to go to the whole squad. The guidance from the coaches has also been brilliant over these last two months where we have all made some huge sacrifices to achieve our goal."
Hartley is now on the mend, but he will be guided by the medics before returning to action for Northampton.
"I'm feeling much better now and will go through all the head assessment protocols at Northampton this week," he said.
