Jamie George: There’s a lot of hype when I play against Dylan Hartley

EXCLUSIVE
Face-off: Saints skipper Dylan Hartley (left) ended up missing the World Cup after this clash with his rival
Getty Images
Chris Jones13 October 2017

Jamie George is preparing to lock horns with England rival Dylan Hartley as Saracens launch their bid for a third successive European Champions Cup title at Northampton on Sunday, but the build-up to the clash sounds more like a meeting of the mutual appreciation society.

While the rest of the sport is waiting to witness a titanic battle between Hartley, England head coach Eddie Jones’ first choice at hooker and national captain, and George, who started all three Lions Tests in New Zealand, the players seem unaffected by the hype.

George has set a world-record 17 successive replacement appearances for England. Hartley is the man responsible for those walk-on parts — and is likely to keep the Saracens man still waiting for that first start when Argentina arrive at Twickenham on November 11.

George exudes the air of a man who knows exactly where he stands in the scheme of things. Jones has made it clear that Hartley, if his form is good enough, will be the captain and starting No2, and although George’s Test ambitions remain as strong as ever, he does not let frustration cloud his thinking or attitude towards his rival.

Jamie George speaks to the Standard (NIGEL HOWARD)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

Hartley failed to make the Lions tour, but when the England squad assembled at a training camp in Oxford recently, he sought out George. “Dylan and I work well together and he said, ‘Well done with the Lions’,” said George. “He is not someone to be overly emotional. That is the most you get and I respect him for that.

“I said the same thing about what he and the guys did winning the series in Argentina during the summer. We are both looking forward to working together again.

“Whenever I play against Dylan, there is a lot of hype, but if I thought about it that way then I wouldn’t be concentrating on what I need to do in the match. I am doing everything I can to push Dylan and also stay ahead of the guys coming up behind as well — and they are pushing hard.

“The important thing is for me to maintain my relationship with Eddie and the coaches. They have given me a clear plan of what I need to work on and it drives me, tests me mentally and physically, to get to different levels. Eddie told me I have every chance (of being picked) and, as always, he has given me a few things to work on. We are on the same wavelength and a big thing is consistency of performance. I agree there are times when I make a good carry and I need to then get up and be ready to do that again. I have to keep my impacts high.”

Hartley made impact with a butt on George when the teams met in 2015. The incident saw the Northampton captain banned and he missed the World Cup, with his Sarries rival drafted in. While players in other positions do not often get the opportunity to confront their opposite numbers on the pitch, the two hookers will be rubbing heads together at every scrum on Sunday. “The best players like challenging themselves against the best and that is what I loved about New Zealand,” added George.

“That is when you get to see where you are at and I love it. I do try to take people on and stamp my authority on the match, but you cannot just be thinking about a one-on-one battle, because the scrum is about all eight players working together as a unit. Get that wrong and you go backwards very quickly.”

Having successfully defended their European title, Sarries now want to emulate Toulon with three in a row. The chance to cement their position as Europe’s top team is providing George and his team-mates with plenty of motivation. “To win a third successive Champions Cup would be incredible and that is the plan,” he said. “We have a seriously tough pool and are going to have to be right on top of our game. We have added to our squad with Liam Williams and Calum Clark. Those guys have taken the group to another level and we have every confidence that we have the players to do it.”

Jamie George is represented by and was speaking at a CSM Sport & Entertainment event. For info www.csm.com

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