London (AFP)
Former England rugby captain Dylan Hartley painted an unflattering portrait of coach Eddie Jones, described as tyrannical, heartless and allegedly treated "like a piece of meat" in an interview with Daily Telegraph, Saturday.
"I was tired of being commanded by Eddie," the 34-year-old former hooker told the newspaper, criticizing the way the Australian told him he was not selected for the last World Cup in Japan.
"You're screwed, man," the coach would have simply said over the phone as the New Zealander by birth tried to recover from a knee injury.
"Even compared to the texts he sent you at 6 am while jogging on his treadmill, which made you squeeze your buttocks and knot your guts, that phone call was brutal", a- he explained.
"He was de facto ending my international career in three words," continued the former Northampton player, who said he felt "like a piece of meat thrown in the trash because the use-by date had passed. ".
And training under him wasn't much better.
"Playing for England was a bit like taking part in one of those cruel dance marathons during the Great Depression, where modest couples danced to the point of exhaustion," he said.
The player explained that he never let his family come to training, as it would have felt like "a visit to prison".
Hartley was however the first captain designated by Jones after his arrival on the England bench, after the 1995 World Cup fiasco.
In his 97 caps, Hartley led England to the Grand Slam in 2016, to three wins in Australia on tour in the same year and to another Six Nations victory in 2017, although Ireland deprived them of a second Grand Slam consecutive to the last match.
Far from being an angel himself, Hartley still recognized what he owes to Jones, whom he calls the best coach he has ever had.
"He did not relaunch my career. He offered me a career. Before him, I had a crappy career", explained the first line which had its first cap in 2008.
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