Eddie Jones has defended his England captain, Dylan Hartley, and suggested that replacing him with Jamie George is not in his thoughts.

The British and Irish Lions head coach, Warren Gatland, has strongly hinted that Hartley will not be part of his plans for the tour of New Zealand this summer and has talked up the chances of Ireland’s Rory Best, Wales’s Ken Owens and George, who many believe will start the first Test on 24 June.

But while some of Hartley’s critics believe the Northampton Saints forward is no longer justifying his place in the England squad, Jones disagrees and believes his skipper played better during the successful Six Nations campaign than he did during the autumn internationals last year, when England beat South Africa, Australia, Fiji and Argentina.

Ireland vs England player ratings Show all 32 1 /32 Ireland vs England player ratings Ireland vs England player ratings Ireland: 15. Rob Kearney- 7 Coped with everything that came his way and threatened on occasion. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 14. Tommy Bowe - 6 Posed Nowell problems in the air but starved of clean ball in space. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 13. Jared Payne - 7 Defensive work was of the highest calibre and didn’t put a foot wrong until injury forced him off. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 12. Robbie Henshaw - 9 Strong running caused England huge problems and leaped above Goode for try that won the game. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 11. Simon Zebo - 7 Excelled under the high ball as England continuously tested him and defended strongly. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 10. Jonathan Sexton - 9 Tackled ferociously and his genius kept Ireland on the attack before exit gave England a reprieve. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 9. Conor Murray - 8 Provided quick and clean ball behind dominant Irish pack and box-kicked for Henshaw’s try. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 1. Jack McGrath - 7 Kept Dan Cole quiet which is enough in itself, carried well and added force to the maul. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 2. Rory Best - 8 Unfaultable at the lineout, always had his hands on the ball in the maul and stood out in the pack. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 3. Mike Ross - 8 Scrummaging was miles better than in the past and he won the battle with Marler. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 4. Devin Toner - 9 Disrupted English lineout when Ireland were under pressure and outshone second-row partner O’Connell in the lineout. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 5. Paul O'Connell - 7 Battled to the very end with a late charge down and continues to defy his age of 35. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 6. Peter O'Mahony - 7 Carried well and was on the receiving end of some big runs, but stopped nearly everyone. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 7. Sean O'Brien - 5 His first rampaging run at Ford led to the injury that forced him off in a rather dazed fashion. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 8. Jordi Murphy - 8 In to replace Heaslip and paid back the favour with a brilliant display on the floor to win numerous penalties. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings Best off the bench: Tommy O'Donnell - 6 On for the injured O’Brien after 25 minutes and added running power where needed. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings England: 15. Alex Goode - 8 His kicking got better as the game went on and his dancing out of the deadball zone was sublime, but beaten in the air for the try. GETTY IMAGES Ireland vs England player ratings 14. Anthony Watson - 6 One second-half break threatened to open the game but panicked with a pass to thin air. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 13. Jonathan Joseph - 6 Given little chance to show his agile best and replaced when England’s chances were dying. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 12. Luther Burrell - 5 Didn’t put in his best shift and will be under pressure for selection against Scotland. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 11. Jack Nowell - 6 Picked in favour of Jonny May, and showed why with impressive pace, but targeted in the air. Ireland vs England player ratings 10. George Ford - 6 Missed penalty would have levelled it up early and two errant passes, but continues to learn at this level. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 9. Ben Youngs - 6 Caught at the base on occasion but passing was good enough before being withdrawn. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 1. Joe Marler - 5 Couldn’t find an edge on Ross which was a surprise and suffered as a result. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 2. Dylan Hartley - 6 Lost two lineouts and was absent in the loose, though his defence was commendable. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 3. Dan Cole - 7 Came to life late on with a barnstorming run over Healy and tried his best to snaffle a turnover or two. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 4. Dave Attwood - 5 Ill-disciplined throughout and was probably the most disappointing in white. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 5. George Kruis - 7 Disrupted the Irish maul very well and the fact he stayed on for the 80 shows how far he’s come. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 6. James Haskell - 6 Gave away an early penalty, and given no quarter at the ruck where he was caught isolated repeatedly. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 7. Chris Robshaw - 6 Tackling was as determined as ever but sloppy with ball in hand. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings 8. Billy Vunipola - 7 Another who improved as England grew into the game, but ran out of options after an impressive 40m break. Getty Images Ireland vs England player ratings Best of the bench: Richard Wigglesworth - 6 Injected some pace into England’s attack with two good breaks. Getty Images

“Dylan is an outstanding captain,” defended Jones. “I’m not discussing Lions selection but he is an outstanding captain for us and does a super job. There’s no reason why he won’t continue to do a super job.

He added: “I thought he was better than he was in November – and there’s no reason why, the next time he comes in, he can’t be better than he was this time. As long as he keeps improving, he’s in the right direction, like every other player.”

But it’s becoming harder and harder for Jones to defend starting Hartley. The 30-year-old did not play more than 60 minutes in any match during the Six Nations, with George making a notable impact in the narrow victories against France and Wales. He has also not played for Northampton since he was given a six-week ban last December for a swinging arm on Leinster’s Sean O’Brien in their European Champions Cup encounter.



Yet Jones would not be drawn on whether Hartley needs to be performing for his club in order to remain his first choice for England and force his way into the Lions reckoning. In fact, Hartley will not be available for this weekend’s Premiership clash with East Midland rivals Leicester Tigers, as he jetted off to Dubai with his family soon after the defeat in Dublin.

“I don’t pick the Northampton side, so how can I answer that? Why would you want me to answer that? That’s Northampton’s decision,” he added. When asked over the last six weeks about Hartley, Jones has been keen to praise his leadership skills and the value of his experience on the rest of the squad.

Yet he was asked directly what he’s made of Hartley’s performances and form for the first time, and after claiming the hooker is playing at a higher level than he was last autumn, he compared him to the former England cricket captain, Mike Brearley, and his impact as a captain rather than a player.

Hartley’s Six Nations minutes 54 vs France 46 vs Wales 55 vs Italy 60 vs Wales 54 vs Ireland

Brearley did not play for England until the age of 34, and had a rather mediocre batting average of 22.88 over 66 Test innings, failing to score a century during that time. But, as a captain, Brearley excelled, losing just four of the 34 Tests he guided England in and manufactured the 1981 Ashes turnaround, drawing the best out of a rejuvenated Ian Botham.

“It’s like when Mike Brearley captained the England cricket team; everyone questioned him, then he won the Ashes and no-one questioned him,” said Jones in the latest of a long line of cricket analogies. Yet for Brearley, one of his defining moments came in reaching the Cricket World Cup final in 1979, beating new Zealand in the semi-finals. However, he was criticised for using up too many overs in the final, along with Geoffrey Boycott, and put too much pressure on the lower order to score late runs against the West Indies. Defeat followed, and the similarities to Saturday’s loss against Ireland make for an interesting comparison. Did Jones wait too long to send on his lower order, the “finishers”, to see England over the line? If George is having the larger impact on the performance, and Hartley still influencing the squad, it would make more sense to give the Saracens hooker more minutes and bring Hartley off the bench late on, his mere presence having the required effect on those around him.