Dylan Hartley is the pride of English rugby says Graham Rowntree ahead of Six ...

Dylan Hartley was hailed as the pride of English rugby as he plotted revenge against the coach who once labelled him a choker.

The Northampton hooker goes into Sunday’s Six Nations clash with Warren Gatland’s Wales at Twickenham as England’s senior player.

A forward who, despite a rap sheet which includes biting, gouging, punching and calling a referee a cheat , is trusted implicitly by the Red Rose management.

Salvaging his reputation has taken some doing and it has emerged Hartley, 27, himself feared it was too big a task.

Yet salvage it he has and four days out from a titanic Test encounter, Graham Rowntree insists Hartley is no longer considered a liability. “He has learnt,” said England’s forwards coach.

“Dylan is an important figure and a dependable leader around this camp. I’m proud of how he has bounced back.”

Rewind to last May as Saints crashed 37-17 to Leicester in the ­Premiership final. Hartley was sent off for verbally abusing ref Wayne Barnes and handed an 11-week ban.

It cost him his Lions place and Hartley disappeared to Bali with his broken dream.

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When Rowntree eventually tracked him down, the player’s mood left the coach fearing the worst.

“And if you ask him, he was doubting himself as well,” Rowntree said.

“But what’s he shown since? He has got over it and he has grown and grown.

“The way he has played, the way he has led his club and how he is around our group – the humility, the learnings – I’m proud of all that.”

Hartley actually traces the start of his growing back to England’s match in Wales in 2011 when Gatland chose to publicly question his bottle – then label him a choker .

“I was singled out and it was something I learned from,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done as much preparation for a game as I did then. So in a way he prepared me really well. It was a favour, I think.”

England won 26-19 that day in Cardiff and though they have not beaten Wales since, they go into Sunday’s match with as big a point to prove as Hartley did then.

“It’s well documented how much last year’s defeat hurt me and the forwards,” said Rowntree.

“It’s driven us on.”

Wales, set to recall Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies, have been warned.

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Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-ireland-targeting-aerial-battle-043959731--spt.html

Dylan Hartley is the pride of English rugby says Graham Rowntree ahead of Six ...