Tuesday 26 January 2016 15:40, UK
Sky Sports' Will Greenwood says Dylan Hartley's slate is now clean as he starts his tenure as England captain under Eddie Jones.
The RFU confirmed on Monday that Hartley will lead England in this year's Six Nations as they look to make amends for a poor showing at the World Cup.
Hartley's appointment given his disciplinary record has raised some eyebrows, with the hooker having spent 54 weeks on the sidelines for incidents that include biting, eye gouging and verbally abusing a referee. Despite this, Greenwood says that Hartley's past should not cloud people's judgement of him.
"I'm a great believer in wiping slates clean if you can," said the World Cup winner.
"The real danger here - this is what happened with Kevin Pietersen - is that if you invite him back into the camp after indiscretions, you have to let everything go.
"You can't hold it against him the whole time, otherwise it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and all of us who want to see England do well will slowly but surely focus on the wrong things.
No one will know greater what has been lost to Dylan Hartley than Dylan Hartley, but in an England jersey he hasn't stepped over the mark, and that's what Eddie Jones will point to.
"We have to understand that he will have had his chat with Eddie Jones and the slate is clean. We can't continually hen-peck him about his discipline.
"My worry is that there's this constant reappraisal every time he stands on someone's foot."
Greenwood says that Hartley's major indiscretions have not arisen when the Saints hooker has played for England.
"The fascinating thing about Dylan Hartley is that every single ban he's had, has been at club level. He's never picked up a ban playing for England.
"So his indiscretions have always been in the tribal environment of a Northampton v Saracens, when he's up against a Jamie George. That was the last one which really cost him his World Cup.
"He got sent off in a final, and he cost his side a trophy and he cost himself a Lions Tour.
"No one will know greater what has been lost to Dylan Hartley than Dylan Hartley, but in an England jersey he hasn't stepped over the mark, and that's what Eddie Jones will point to.
"As long as he doesn't get banned in a Northampton jersey and miss England games, he's my go-to guy in the white of England."
The former centre believes that Hartley will make an enormous contribution to England's Six Nations campaign in the No 2 jersey, led by his near-faultless ability at the set piece.
"Every prop who's ever played with him says that they scrummage better with him as the meat in the sandwich between the loosehead and the tighthead.
"His arrows, his darts, his hitting his double-tops under pressure are outstanding. He has that experience.
"I'm never going to say he's a great ball-carrier, because I find he tends to try and stop and bump as opposed to run through, which is the modern role.
"As an English fan, on the back of the World Cup, good luck to the lad.
"I hope he does well, and hope against hope that he can control those impulses, because you can absolutely be certain that Vern Cotter is telling his front five to tweak his nose, to pull his ear, to call him names in Murrayfield."
