Eddie Jones believes that Dylan Hartley can continue as England captain through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

It had been felt that there might be a natural mid-point break in the four-year cycle leading up to the tournament with a handover of the captain’s armband taking place at some point in the next few months with Owen Farrell heading the list of possible successors.

Jones, however, has seen a marked improvement in Hartley’s performances since the turn of the year and the Northampton hooker will lead the England squad to 2019 World Cup opponents Argentina next month for a two-Test series.

Jones has offered a colourful bit of advice to New Zealand-born Hartley, the coach believing that if he plays well, he will be picked.

“There’s no reason he can’t carry on to 2019,” said Jones. “It depends how hungry he is: whether he keeps on being the butcher of Rotorua or becomes the Squire of Northampton. Initially it was a two-year plan. After that it was going to come down to whether he’s improving as a player and as a captain. He was measurably better during the Six Nations than he was in November. His captaincy has gone up to another level. The preparation he’s doing for Argentina would suggest he’s going in the right direction. “