CAPTAIN MARMITE

Dylan Hartley has "unsurprisingly" been made England captain, a decision by new Coach Jones, that has provoked much comment and debate. In essence, Dylan is the "Marmite" of English Rugby, some love him for bringing a necessary "physical edge" to England's pack and some hate him, either because they do not see him as a good role model for children, or that he is from New Zealand.

His disciplinary record of 54 "missed" weeks of rugby does not make great reading:

As anyone who has been gouged, bitten or headbutted, by him or anyone else, will remind you that the rugby pitch (or the pub) is no place for such behaviour. But it raises the old age question, about professional sports people - do we want them to be role models or winners (maybe at all costs?). Will Carling the ex-England captain, expressed his view on the BBC web site, by proclaiming that: "Winning at rugby or in sport is not about being safe. That is why I like it (the decision). Real leadership is about how you act, commit and show passion." He added: "When I was (England) captain, it was about how we started winning games and the mentality to win games". Some also point to the fact that hooker is a good position in the team to be captain, as you are involved in the majority of play, and it is easy to communicate with the ref. Many international captains have played in the same position, eg: Stephen Moore, John Smit, Ross Ford, Keith Wood, etc

Dylan and Jamie battle it out (literally) for that no.2 jersey 

Others, including a lot of Mini/Youth coaches, feel his appointment sends out the wrong messages to kids, and endorses "football style ill discipline" that threatens rugby's core values. They also point out that he is not even the best player in his position, with Jamie George (Saracens) and Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter) ahead of him on form. And, even though Eddie Jones wants one, he is still a hooker that can't hook.

And finally, some sit on the fence, and express concern that as "Mr Marmite" will be on his best behaviour in the Six Nations, this could nullify the very "physical edge" that has made him such a feared opponent. I am not sure what a diluted "Marmite" looks or tastes like, but in most people's eyes this would be preferable to having the English captain in the bin for ten minutes (and losing the initiative or the game). Everyone awaits his Captain's debut against Scotland on 6th February 2016 with baited breath - fans, coaches, players but, in particular, the ref.