As a hard-nosed hooker, Dylan Hartley never seemed the type to believe in fairytales, but the fact that he will be denied a storybook ending to his England career still stings.

The knee injury he suffered playing on an artificial pitch nine months ago is still giving him grief, but the 33-year-old who led England to Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017 is also dealing with the likelihood that he is unlikely to add to his 97 caps.

The pain of missing out on the World Cup is compounded by the frustration that the Northampton Saints hooker suffered the injury against Worcester Warriors at Sixways on the sort of artificial surface he feels is not suitable for the professional game.

“I don’t agree with