Dylan Hartley blasts "so called experts" as he insists South Africa tour absence won't end England career
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Dylan Hartley has blasted “so-called experts” for expressing fears over his rugby future.
The England captain announced on Monday that he had taken medical advice and pulled the plug on his season due to concussion.
Given it is his third concussion in three seasons and he has not played since March 17, some questioned the wisdom of him playing on.
To which Hartley, 32, gave short shrift - defiantly insisting that he would return to action next season.
“I see there’s a lot of so-called experts out there in newspapers, pubs and podcasts recommending what I do with my career,” he wrote on Instagram.
(Image: PA)
“Funnily enough I’m only listening to the medical professionals and myself.
“Fortunately/unfortunately for some I’ll be back next season to help my respective teams push on.”
Hartley sustained two concussions in 2016, the second of which left him with no memory of lifting the Six Nations trophy in France.
This latest episode again occurred on England duty, against Ireland, though the symptoms only developed post-match.
“Dylan’s way of coping and dealing with it is looking forward,” former Wales star Jonathan Thomas, who quit rugby after suffering severe head trauma, told the BBC .
“But in the here and now I think he’s been really wise to listen to medical advice. Because it’s a head trauma and you don’t want issues later in life.
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
(Image: Getty)
“Concussion isn’t just being knocked out where you lose consciousness. I
"It can be a hit on the head where your brain rattles back and forth inside your skull and you get symptoms.”
Bryan Habana, South Africa’s record try-scorer with 67 tries in 124 Tests, succumbed to injury and announced his retirement yesterday.
“It’s been more than a year of hoping, trying, pushing and willing to get back on the field for one last time,” he said. “But it’s unfortunately just not to be.”