England captain Dylan Hartley says the public desire to see him fail ahead of their Six Nations opener against Scotland has made him prepare like never before.
Hartley, 29, has been viewed as a controversial appointment by new coach Eddie Jones in some quarters, having been banned for a total of 54 weeks throughout his career.
And it is the pressure of those voicing their displeasure which is driving him.
“The captaincy thing, the whole media circus – the sideshow that I don’t really want to do but I understand that I have got to do – and everyone wanting to see me muck up is making me prepared for this game in a good way,” he told the BBC.
“Everyone wants to see people fail, don’t they?” said Hartley. “I just know it is out there, for whatever reason.
“It’s my fault, I’ve created this story. But it isn’t something I look back at. I’m pretty excited to be here. I’m prepared and not overplaying it.”
The hooker, who has 66 caps for his country, has missed out on two World Cup through suspension in a career blighted by indiscipline.
Earlier this week, Hartley’s teammate Mike Brown, another with a tendency to lose his head, warned Scotland that any attempt to wind them up would be futile.
“If they focus on one guy then there’re 14 other players who will sting them elsewhere,” said Brown.
“If teams want to do that, that’s fine by us, we’ll put our game on the pitch, and just play.”
“I’m pretty positive he’ll be fine. They can try, I suppose. People will say they’ll try to get to me in games. It’s fine – it’s just about controlling yourself and dealing with that.”
