The England captain is only willing to accept victory on Saturday.
This Saturday will mark the first time Dylan Hartley leads out England since his captaincy was announced.
Eddie Jones’ men began their Six Nations campaign with two victories on the road but the reigning champions are in town this weekend.
In a sit-down natter with The Sun’s Johnny Fordham and former England skipper Will Carling, Hartley declares that Ireland are the current benchmark for success in Europe.
However, that does not mean he is prepared to walk off the pitch, near 7pm on Saturday, with anything but another scalp.
Asked about the current motivational propensity for daubing inspirational slogans on the dressing room wall, Hartley says:
“It is always nice to be in your own changing room. It’s more of the mindset that you are in your space.
“It’s your house and you control what is going to happen.”
Hartley, quite rightly, notes that England have lost out on two successive championships due to conceding too many tries. Points difference has gone against them despite high-scoring final day outings against Italy [2014] and France [2015].
“It’s time to be part of something,” is the Saints hooker’s rallying call.
Queried about the rivalry with Ireland, of which England have enjoyed the upper hand since March 2011, Hartley declares:
“It’s a home game so we want to win. And then it’s the fact we are playing the side that have won the Six Nations for the past two years.
“They’re standing in the way of where we want to go.”
On Saturday, come hell, injury or high water, Joe Schmidt will ask 15 Irish players to prolong halt an English movement that is threatening to become a juggernaut.
