Saints hooker Hartley satisfied with England success in Italy

Hartley skippered his country to a second victory in as many matches as they earned a 40-9 success in Rome.

Courtney Lawes also started, while 20-year-old prop Paul Hill came off the bench to make his England debut.

And Hartley was delighted with how things panned out as his team backed up their opening-day victory in Scotland.

“The first half was frustrating, but overall it was a very satisfying win for us,” said the Saints hooker.

“We weren’t 100 per cent and we have got high standards, so we have got stuff to work on there.

“Breakdown-wise first half, we were a bit off the money, we were slow to get to the ruck, a few side entries, holding on to the ball, things we need to tidy up. I think we let Italy into the game there.

“We seemed surprised when they were competing for the ball, so second half we came out, we took the onus on ourselves to compete at the ruck a bit harder, get a foot on the ball, mix things up at the breakdown and I think it got us a good return there.”

Meanwhile, Saints wing George North scored an eye-catching try as Wales beat Scotland 27-23 in Cardiff on Saturday evening.