Hartley, Dylan

Dylan Hartley was born in the New Zealand city of Rotorua. As a child, he began to play rugby for the school team, and becoming a professional player, he got into her Hall of Fame. In 2002, he graduated from an educational institution, simultaneously winning the national championship among schools; his partners were other future stars: and . Immediately after this, Dylan moved to relatives in the English city of Crowborough , where he, while speaking in the position of prop, continued to improve his skills, speaking for the amateur club of the same name ^[2] .

In England, Dylan took local citizenship and in 2004-2005 received calls to the youth national teams of the country, where his game attracted the attention of Worcester Warriors . In 2004, he entered the club’s academy, but in the main team he played only once against the Leeds Tykes in the European Challenge Cup ^[2] . In 2005, Hartley changed his position to a hooker, and then signed a contract with the Northampton Saints ^[3] .

Northampton Saints

Hartley made his club debut in September 2005 in the Premier League match against Leicester Tigers ; all in all, in the debut season, he entered the field 16 times, which immediately earned a reputation as the successor to the permanent Saints hooker ^[4] . At the very beginning of 2007, Thompson suffered a severe neck injury and was forced to end his career, which gave Dylan the opportunity to become the main second number in the club ^[5] . Despite the player’s progress, the club left the top division according to the results of the season and spent a year in the Championship . Nevertheless, according to Hartley himself, it was an extremely useful experience - the Northampton team not only managed to immediately return to the elite, but also took a double, winning the Anglo-Welsh Cup ; in addition, the game in the country's second strongest match allowed the team to rally and reach a new level ^[6] .

In 2008, Hartley wore a captain’s armband in several matches when couldn’t enter the field, and before the start of the 2009/2010 season he was appointed permanent captain of the “Saints”, and at the age of 23 he became the club’s youngest rugby player to be awarded such an honor ^{[7] [8]} . In the following years, Dylan did not reduce the level of his performances, for example, in the 2010/2011 season he played in the Heineken Cup finals (defeat from Leinster 33:22). However, in the decisive match of the Premier League playoffs, he let the team down two years later - in the 41st minute he received a red card for insulting the referee. This trick was worth the “Saints” title, because in the second half, the Leicester Tigers players managed to make three attempts and win with a total score of 37:17 ^[9] .

Already in the next season, the rugby player managed to rehabilitate. “Northampton” played in three finals, in two of which he managed to win (over the “ Saracens ” in the Premier League and “ Bat” in the Challenge Cup). At the end of the year, Hartley received an advantageous offer from Montpellier Hero , but he refused and instead of moving to France he extended the contract with the club for another three years ^[10] .

England team

In 2007, Hartley played three matches for the England Saxons , the country's second national team. A year later, he made his debut for the main team, coming on as a substitute in a test match against Pacific Islanders ^[11] . At first, Dylan could not gain a foothold in the basis of the national team, as experienced played in his position, but already in the summer of 2009, head coach of red and white Martin Johnson released him at the start of the game against Argentina at Old Trafford . Although the British won a landslide victory with a score of 37:15, the young rugby player had something to reproach himself with, in particular, his mistakes in defense led to two penalties ^[12] .

In the next two seasons, Dylan began to appear regularly at the base, and by the time the England squad was announced for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he already had 29 matches and 5 points in red and white rugby ^[13] . At the tournament, Hartley entered the field four times (three times for a substitution and once in the starting lineup), but he was not remembered by the fans for his game - the rugby player attracted the attention of the tabloids twice: for the first time because of a trip to the bars with teammates and , and then the same trinity was implicated in a sex scandal with one of the hotel workers where the English were staying ^{[14] [15]} .

After the tournament, became the head coach of the red and white, who soon began to withdraw from the composition of athletes who had problems with discipline. Despite the fact that Hartley did not stop playing dirty, he regularly received calls to the national team. In the summer of 2012, he was entrusted with the captain's armband during the absence of Chris Robshaw , who broke his finger before the final match of the test window ^[16] . Over the next three years, Dylan, together with the national team, three times took second place in the Six Nations Cup . At the same time, Hartley’s disciplinary problems did not disappear - at the end of 2014 he received the last warning from Lancaster ^[17] , and a few months before the home world championship, the head coach decided to remove the rugby player from playing for the national team due to inappropriate behavior on the field ^{[ 18]} .

Everything changed after the failure of the British at the World Cup and the appointment of head coach . The Australian immediately appointed Hartley as the team captain in the upcoming Six Nations Cup , which caused mixed reactions from experts and fans ^[19] . In 2016, the British won all 13 matches, simultaneously regaining their great helmet and climbing to the 2nd line of the world ranking, which convinced Jones to leave the blindfold at Dylan ^[20] . Hartley, in turn, became the leader in the team that won the European tournament for the second year in a row.

Achievements

Hartley is known for his aggressive manner of playing, which has repeatedly led to disciplinary problems, however, youth team coaches noted that at an early age Dylan kept his emotions under control, and his aggression only benefited his performances ^[2] . One of the athlete’s strengths is a game in a fight, where, thanks to his skills, physical strength and weight, he skillfully performs the duties of a hooker, bringing the ball to the back line ^{[21] [22]} . Hartley’s other advantage is his leadership qualities, which provided him with a captain’s armband in the club and team ^[23]

Nevertheless, after his appointment as captain, many experts doubted the quality of Dylan's game. Experts reproached him with poor form, and also called his performances average even by the standards of the national championship ^[24] . In addition, many experts spoke in favor of the Saracens player Jamie George as the more preferable candidate for the second position of the national team, since he is not inferior, and in some components, superior to Hartley ^[25] .

Discipline Issues

The entire professional career of a rugby player was overshadowed by many disqualifications. In total, since 2007 he has been suspended for 60 weeks for the following reasons ^[26] :

Dylan Hartley is married, his wife Joanne Tromas works as a makeup artist; in 2015, the couple had a daughter, Thea ^[32] . After the rugby player was appointed captain of England, the New Zealand brand Canterbury made him his ambassador. The agreement was concluded for three years, and the athlete's duty was to promote training and casual wear ^[33] . In addition, Hartley is involved in charity work: he is one of the ambassadors of the Matt Hampson Foundation, as well as an annual participant in the Movember campaign ^[34] .

• Player profile on Northampton Saints.
• Player profile on the Rugby Union website.
• Player profile on ESPN.