Saints hooker Hartley hails England for passing Wales test

Dylan Hartley reflected on '˜one hell of a Test match' after England claimed a superb 21-16 win in Wales.
Dylan Hartley (picture: Kirsty Edmonds)Dylan Hartley (picture: Kirsty Edmonds)
Dylan Hartley (picture: Kirsty Edmonds)

Elliot Daly’s late try provided a precious Six Nations win for Eddie Jones’ men on Saturday evening.

England still have a 100 per cent record since Jones took charge and Hartley was named captain in January, 2016.

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And the victory in Cardiff was perhaps the best yet as the Red Rose held their nerve and recovered from 16-14 down to keep their Grand Slam bid on track.

“We showed good examples of what we can do today, though I would have preferred to wrap it up a bit earlier,” said Saints hooker Hartley.

“The finishers came on for us and showed great composure. There are parts of the game where we need to improve, we need to learn, but we’ll take that one.

Wales are a hell of a side and from minute one they showed how physical they are.

“It was a hell of a Test match!”

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Saints hooker Hartley was taken off in the 46th minute of an energy-sapping encounter.

But England’s bench once again lived up to their ‘finishers’ tag as they completed the mission in Cardiff.

“I want to play as long as possible but I’m sure the substitution is for the good of the team,” Hartley said.

“It’s a call that comes from up top and it’s something I’ve got to deal with.

“If it’s for the team, that’s the main thing.”