Hartley hails England spirit

24 November 2018, 18:41

England co-captain Dylan Hartley hailed an ‘enjoyable’ November series after the side ended their Quilter Internationals with victory over Australia.

It meant the side ended their November fixtures with three wins from four, losing only to world champions New Zealand.

And Hartley believes the spirit of the squad is central to their performances.

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“It’s been enjoyable,” said Hartley.

“The team has only been together five weeks and there was a lot of talk about inexperience but I saw it as an opportunity for a lot of guys. The way the team has grown and gelled together off the field has been brilliant, and when you work hard and you win games it is enjoyable.”

Hartley added: “We’ve got the balance right so I’m just really pleased how the team has worked and really proud of the effort that has gone in over the past five weeks.”

Limitless potential

England’s hooker also urged the squad to continue to improve and believes their potential is limitless as they now turn their attention to the 2019 Six Nations. "We can achieve as much as we want"

“We can achieve as much as we want,” he said.

“We have to go away and work harder and personally I have that challenge as do all the guys. We have two months before we meet again and we have to make sure when we come back we don’t go backwards as a team.”

Fellow co-captain Owen Farrell, who scored one of England’s four tries, echoed Hartley’s sentiments, also paying tribute to the spirit of the squad.

“I think what this month has shown more than anything is our togetherness, how tight we have become and hopefully that will only get better,” he said.