Hartley pleased to be back in the England mix

Editor

Dylan Hartley revealed that he was relieved to see his name on the England squad list under new coach Eddie Jones.

The hooker missed out on the Rugby World Cup due to disciplinary reasons, but now is reportedly the favourite to take over the captaincy from Chris Robshaw.

Despite this, Hartley revealed in his column for The Sun that he was just happy to be considered by Jones. 

"I wanted so badly to see my name on that piece of paper put out at Twickenham last week," he wrote.

"And now going down to camp at [England's training base] Pennyhill Park, when I pull up at the gates that will make it all real again.

"I was a bit anxious when the call came from Eddie Jones because I haven't played much lately because of concussion and then a rib injury.

"It was a big relief when I finally spoke to him and we had a really good chat about rugby. Eddie has given me a few requests of what he would like to see from me – and a few tips."

In terms of his potential captaincy – to be announced on Monday – Hartley revealed that he hadn’t really considered it, despite being captain once before.

The Northampton Saints player captained England during a Test match in 2012 against South Africa, which resulted in a 14-all draw.

"It would of course be an honour to do it again but I'm not getting carried away by it," quipped the 29-year-old.

"I led out the boys once when we drew against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 2012.

"I just need to make sure I'm on that team sheet before worrying about anything else. I just need to keep my head down and show my strengths out on the pitch."