Advertisement
England captain Dylan Hartley leads Six Nations celebrations
all a blur

'I can't remember the trophy presentation' - Hartley

The England captain was replaced after being knocked unconscious while attempting to make a tackle against France.

ENGLAND CAPTAIN DYLAN Hartley has revealed he cannot remember lifting the Six Nations trophy after being knocked out in Sunday’s Grand Slam-clinching win in France.

Tries from Danny Care, Dan Cole and Anthony Watson put England on course for their first clean sweep in 13 years, although Hartley had to leave the field late in the second half after he was knocked unconscious attempting to tackle Uini Atonio.

Francetv Sport / YouTube

The skipper returned at the end of the match, apparently free of injury, and led the celebrations on the Stade de France pitch.

However, it has transpired that the memorable moment did not stick so long in Hartley’s mind.

RBS 6 Nations / YouTube

He wrote in The Sun: “It’s a great feeling to say you’re a Grand Slam winner … I just wish I could remember lifting that trophy in Paris!

“After being knocked out and taken off on a stretcher I can’t remember any celebrations.

“I can’t remember the trophy presentation, the victory lap or seeing my aunty and uncle in the crowd.

“It’s a weird feeling so I’ve been looking at a lot of photos to piece it all together and there are bits coming back to me.

When I came round on the pitch, I tried to convince the medical staff that I was fine and hadn’t been knocked out but they were quite rightly having none of it.

“Owen Farrell came over and asked if I was fine but he also told me: ‘You’ve been knocked out mate — you’ve gotta go off and get looked after’.

“It would have been obscene for me to carry on and having seen the video back it was pretty clear I was sparked straight out.”

The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!

‘People coming up to you in the street is nice reward for all the hard work’

‘There’s days when I can’t believe I’m leaving this’: Madigan coming to terms with Leinster exit

Your Voice
Readers Comments
12
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.