The former England captain reflects on retirement, life in the international spotlight and the brutal demands of the modern game
Dylan Hartley picks his way through the brightly coloured balloons that light up his house on a rainy morning in the Northamptonshire countryside. His daughter turned five yesterday and, now he has retired from rugby, the former England captain is still enjoying the novelty of being at home with his family in a birthday week. But rugby has battered his body and so he walks gingerly to a comfortable sofa.
Hartley’s love for the game, and his awareness of the toll it exacts, is captured in a line in his startling and compelling new book: “Rugby is great for the soul, but terrible for the body.” Hartley does not want to resemble a victim but his stark testimony is sobering. Anyone who cares about the game, in which he won 97 caps for England and played 250 times for Northampton, should read Hartley’s book or listen when he talks so calmly.
Written by Donald McRae
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/28/dylan-hartley-rugby-normalises-pain-and-injuries-its-the-reality under the title “
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