Dylan Hartley's Ban Highlights Hidden Problem for Warren Gatland

Dylan Hartley’s sending off prompted widespread outrage and demands for his name to be removed from the list of possible Lions’ captains – but it may have exposed an even bigger problem for Warren Gatland ahead of next summer’s tour, writes James Harrington.

England captain Dylan Hartley’s red card and subsequent six-week ban for that clothesline on Sean O’Brien during Northampton’s European Champions Cup third-round home defeat to Leinster prompted immediate calls for Warren Gatland to scratch his name from the list of possible captains for next summer’s Lions’ tour of New Zealand.

He was handed a mid-range sanction after being cited for striking an opponent, and will be able to return on January 23. It means that he will be available for England for their opening 2017 Six Nations’ match against France on February 4, no doubt to the relief of Eddie Jones, but to the howling dissatisfaction of many.

A high-end sanction would have seen him miss, at least, the opening matches of the tournament.

Detractors’ demands regarding the Lions’ captaincy – loud and vociferous and impassioned as they were and as justified as they may have been – miss an important point.

The fact is Hartley has never been a shoo-in for the Lions’ captaincy. Not even close.

Gatland himself gently pointed this out when asked whether the incident at Franklin’s Gardens would have any bearing on his choice of skipper. “It’s so early to be thinking that far ahead,” he told Sky Sports. “There are a number of people who will be in contention for a potential captain’s role. It is about picking the squad first.

“To be fair to Dylan, in the last 12 months he has had a great track record … Hopefully he will take his punishment and get back for the Six Nations and hope he goes well.”

Other public Hartley apologists – including RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie and former Lions’ coach Sir Ian McGeechan – have also been quick point out that the England captain’s behaviour on international duty has been nothing short of exemplary.

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Gatland’s coy comments are being interpreted as a door held open for Hartley.

But they may hide a bigger issue – that the coach is not sure there’s an obvious captain out there. So, who could be in the frame? Probably not Hartley, despite Gatland’s warmish, comforting words, but also probably not Wales skipper Sam Warburton, his go-to man in 2013.

On current form alone, neither Hartley or Warburton would get a game for their national sides, let alone the Lions. This latest ban notwithstanding, Hartley has been a rare sight in Saints’ clothing since he was named England captain, and Warburton has fallen down the Wales’ flankers’ pecking order.

Scotland’s Greig Laidlaw, meanwhile, is also a long way down the list of likely Test scrum-halves, which means – at this stage – the captaincy is surely not an option.

Which leaves Rory Best. He’s a different player from the one who endured a fairly miserable tour of Australia in 2013. Back then, concerns over his lineout throwing meant he was not included in the original tour party. Ironically, he was only called-up when Hartley was scrubbed from the squad after his foul-mouthed disagreement with referee Wayne Barnes during that year’s Premiership final led to an 11-week ban.

But the jitters returned during a midweek defeat against the Brumbies before the first Test, and Best could not break into the Test squad, remaining very much third-choice behind Richard Hibbard and Tom Youngs.

Four years’ later, the lineout appears to be a concern no longer, after Best worked hard to improve that area of his game. And Gatland has guardedly endorsed the Ulsterman’s credentials. He told the New Zealand Herald: “He is scrummaging well, he is experienced. He has grown into that leadership role. There is a lot to admire about Rory Best.”

But, like Hartley, the Ireland skipper suffers a problem in the shape of Saracens’ hooker and Hartley’s international understudy Jamie George, who must be on glowing brightly on Gatland’s radar as a Test starter.

The coach has given himself a bizarre out by insisting the tour captain is not guaranteed a Test place – but it is surely logical to assume that, injury permitting, the Lions’ captain will start the big games. And if Best, Hartley, Laidlaw and Warburton are not on that teamsheet, who could it be?

In 1997, an unexpected name was selected to captain the Lions on their tour of South Africa. Two years later, he became captain of England. Four years after that, he lifted the World Cup.

Two decades later, it may be the time has come for another Martin Johnson moment.