England head coach Eddie Jones wants newly appointed captain Dylan Hartley to “be Tarzan” when he leads the team out in the Six Nations, he told BBC radio yesterday.
“On the field, he’s got to be Tarzan,” Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s got to go out there and play with his heart. If he does that then the players will follow him.”
Hartley’s chequered disciplinary record made him a contentious choice as the successor to Chris Robshaw, but having spent 10 days observing him in training, Jones is happy with his decision.
“What I like about Dylan is he’s got a bit of ‘blokieness’ about him. He’s a real bloke, he talks to people,” said the Australian, whose side open their campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
“The first time I met him, we came to the kitchen here (at England’s Pennyhill Park training base) and had breakfast and he was speaking to the people who were serving behind the counter.
“He was very polite and respectful. He didn’t have to do that, but it’s a good sign. I’ve seen that with the team. He gets around, talks to people, encourages people to get involved.
“That’s what a leader is about—getting the best out of the people around you. It’s not being at the front of the bus, beating your chest and saying, ‘Do as I do.’
“It’s about engaging people, finding out what qualities they have and finding out they can improve the team environment, and I’ve been pleased how Dylan has done that.”

England and Jones need time, insists Wilkinson
England legend Jonny Wilkinson has warned fans not to expect an immediate upturn in fortunes under new head coach Eddie Jones.
Australian Jones, who led Japan to an unprecedented three pool stage victories in the recent World Cup, will take charge of his first match on Saturday as England get their Six Nations campaign underway against Scotland at Murrayfield.
England became the first World Cup hosts to fail to reach the knock-out stages last autumn and Jones, who was coach of his home country in the 2003 World Cup final defeat to England, subsequently took over from Stuart Lancaster.
Wilkinson, who kicked the winning drop goal in that final 13 years ago, thinks that England and France, who have Guy Noves as a new coach, need to show patience.
“It is such a tough balance to strike because both these nations have been used to strong international teams and both quite rightly expect good results,” Wilkinson told ITV television. “High-level rugby teams with lasting quality are built from the bottom up, however, and this cannot be done in a few weeks and a harsh conversation or two.
“The first run out is often not the most challenging because the excitement, energy and desire to prove yourself can combine to make something extraordinary.
“It is the rest of the tournament and beyond where good coaching, man management and preparation will be tested.
“Both of these teams will come out firing, it is a case of 100 per cent or not at all at this level which means committing fully to every decision and ultimately trusting your plan, your team and yourself.”
England have not won the Grand Slam since 2003 and former fly-half Wilkinson, who Jones has drafted in as an occasional kicking coach, says that any team just hoping to win the Six Nations must start quickly.
“Scotland will be full of confidence after a great World Cup and Wales will carry a lot of momentum from a courageous effort too,” Wilkinson added.
“It will be very exciting to see what France, Ireland, Italy and England bring to the tournament. “We will get a great picture of how these guys plan to carry on after a difficult time and an idea of the future identities of these teams. “Whoever gels together fastest will prove the most dangerous.”

Jones offers to help old Stormers team
New England coach Eddie Jones has offered to help out his old club, the Stormers, just days from the start of the Six Nations Championship.
The Australian, who left for England in November after spending only a few weeks at the helm with the Stormers, has made himself available to the Super Rugby side on an informal basis. “He sent me a message through his agent the other day to say  he is available at any stage though obviously he is pretty hectic at the moment,” Jones’ successor Robbie Fleck told a news conference on Tuesday.
“He said when he left here that the option was there and he has backed up on his word. I am really grateful for that. I certainly will send him some footage and give him an update of where we are.”
England meet Scotland in their Six Nations opener in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Former Japan coach Jones’ stay in Cape Town was brief but Fleck said he made a big impression and the team would adopt some of his ideas this season.
“The brilliant thing when Eddie was here was that we had all this knowledge and ways we wanted to play but he just simplified things,” said former South Africa centre Fleck who has taken charge of a Super Rugby team for the first time.
“At the end of the day his big message was the fundamentals of rugby have not changed over the years, it’s just having the confidence to go forward and do it.” The Stormers get their Super Rugby campaign underway against the Bulls on February 27.