Picking Dylan Hartley as captain is a risk, but the reward could be the Six Nations title

It’s not often you get promoted after dishing out a head-butt at work. Even if that annoying man in accounts is being particularly patronising again, a sharp swing of the head to the bridge of his nose is always worth avoiding.

Similarly, if the HR rep says you can “reach out” to them at any time for help, before proving utterly useless once more, you can’t then take those words literally and end up in a casual eye-gouge situation. It just doesn’t go down too well.

In fact, physical abuse is never a good option and will always prevent you from progressing in the workplace.*

Unless, that is, you are Dylan Hartley.

The hooker has just been appointed England captain by Eddie Jones after missing the World Cup because he was banned for “striking [an opponent] with the head” – headbutting to you and me – in Northampton’s match with Saracens last season.

So how can a player with such a lengthy list of misdemeanours – his suspensions total more than a year out of the game – land the biggest job in the land? Because while Hartley’s place of work is an often-brutal rugby pitch rather than an orthodox office environment, his actions remain unacceptable.

On the surface, it seems like a crazy decision – and even Jones admits it is a "risk". Yet, strangely, despite all of the above, there are some valid reasons why the appointment could yet bring a huge reward - the Six Nations title…

The first thing in Hartley's favour is that he is guaranteed his place in the team when fully fit and in form. There is a lot of noise being made about Jamie George – who in a strange twist was Hartley’s victim in the headbutt incident, and was picked to replace him in the World Cup squad – but he hardly pushed his case during the tournament and could not dislodge Tom Youngs. So if Hartley is ready to go after several weeks out with concussion this season, he warrants his place.

Perhaps the only other player that might be guaranteed to start every game under Jones, based on World Cup performances, would be full-back Mike Brown. Yet he is also a bit of a hot-head with little leadership experience, whereas Hartley, who has 66 caps, comes with years as Northampton skipper under his belt.

As for Chris Robshaw, the former captain, he will have enough on his plate competing for a place on the other side of the scrum – at blindside flanker – where Jones feels he could do a job, after spending his time as skipper at No 7.

Jones has also correctly insisted: “We need to change English rugby and get back what the rest of the world fears about England, and that's their forward play.”

If that is his goal - and it absolutely should be, given the relatively meek showing from the pack in the World Cup - then Hartley has to be central to the plan. Given that it would have been better for Youngs to have thrown a sickie rather than any ball into a line-out during various points over his recent England career, Harley will immediately help restore the confidence in that set-piece. Add in his scrummaging and aggressive clean-outs in the rucks, and he has all the attributes to build a solid pack around.

Although some in Australia might think that appointing Hartley is some elaborate revenge plot by Jones after the Australian’s team lost agonisingly in the 2003 World Cup to Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal, much of the decision is based on a tough-to-define personality trait that gives sportsmen an "edge" over opponents.

Typically this is personified in highly competitive and aggressive players such Wayne Rooney in football – those who tend to clash with authority but who are given a longer leash by managers because they do not want them to become "a lesser player". Often it comes with a bit of a temper too.

But in Hartley, Jones has clearly seen these first qualities as essential in his captain above all else, including the image of the team in the RFU's eyes.

“Dylan is an honest, hardworking bloke and I admire his aggressive and uncompromising approach to playing rugby,” said the 56-year-old when discussing his new skipper's appointment.

Under Stuart Lancaster and Robshaw the England team rebuilt their reputation with the public, something that desperately needed doing in the years following the dwarf-tossing and ferry hopping 2011 World Cup debacle. But Jones is here to cement that relationship with major trophies. And that is why Hartley could prove an excellent choice.

In rugby, a highly physical and territorial game, there is no room for a backward step – on or off the field – in the pursuit of winning and attempting to gain an advantage. Think of Martin Johnson’s refusal to move to the correct side of the pitch before the Grand Slam decider in 2003 against Ireland – meaning Irish President Mary McAleese had to walk on the mud and not the red carpet.

It did not go down well with the crowd at Lansdowne Road but Johnson gave England a psychological edge with his stubborn stand. He was saying to his opponents – in front of close to 50,000 screaming spectators – "we will not be bullied, I don't care if this is your home."

Hartley, who also has a shrewd tactical mind, will not be pushed around either and has a presence and bloody-mindedness that could just make the rest of the team want to play for him.

Hartley is the ultimate rugby recidivist. We cannot say for sure if he has learnt from his mistakes and how he will react in any future scuffles. “People mature. He's got a wife, he's got a young daughter. Life changes, priorities change," insisted Jones. "The biggest risk was to not take a risk.”

The last part makes sense – it ties in with trying to make England intimidating again.

But the rest of it is surely mind games. The last thing Hartley will be thinking about in the split-second after taking a fist to the face at the bottom of a ruck is his family. But he must simply strain every sinew not to react.

Jones wants a bit of “mongrel”, as they call it in Australia, in his leader – just without the bite that has seen Hartley banned before.

And that’s where the decision to hand him the armband could also be a very smart move. As if there was not enough pressure on him to behave after he missed a Lions tour and World Cup after lashing out – he might as well have a sign on his back saying “kick me” to spell it out for opponents – the captaincy could be that extra burden that dampens his instinct in that critical split second when he thinks about hitting back after provocation. The urge to do the right thing by his team, that extra responsibility to lead by example, could help finally curb his thuggish tendencies.

At least that is what Jones is hoping. The Australian is asking Hartley to simply cling to the edge of the cliff of control, not spectacularly somersault over the precipice. And if he fails, do not expect Jones to show much leniency. It is not only the captain that can be ruthless in this new England era.

If it pans out as Jones hopes it might, England have no excuses for not winning the Six Nations. They have an incredibly strong squad – and could realistically field two competitive teams in the tournament. Not only that, but they have a new coach – with a reputation for being a master tactician and an impressive CV – that all the players will want to impress, plus two crucial fixtures at home against the teams who are most likely to be their closest rivals for the title: Wales and Ireland.

France are yet again an unknown entity under new coach Guy Noves, while the other nations will all be tough challenges given that they are also coached by wily Antipodeans and have very strong starting XVs. But the English RFU is the richest in the world and chief executive Ian Ritchie made a point of saying that money was no object in recruiting the best coach they could find. In terms of sheer force of resources and talent, there is no reason why they should not win this year's tournament.

Under Lancaster they came within a few points of winning the title in 2015 – and four times were runners-up. But much like Sir Clive Woodward’s men in 2003 – who also suffered three near misses before crucially winning that match at Lansdowne Road and clinching the Grand Slam – they must discover that win-at-all costs mentality. Under Hartley and Jones, they just might.

*No Eurosport employees were depicted, headbutted or gouged in the writing of this blog.