Six Nations: Jamie George keeps it clean compared to Dylan Hartley and gives Eddie Jones a nudge

Defence, like discipline, is an interdependent part of rugby’s complex jigsaw, and Saracens have restricted their opponents to just seven tries this season

Jamie George breaks away to score a try during Saracens’ win over Oyonnax (Getty)

The five weeks before the England squad meet to prepare for the Six Nations Championship is ample time for any plans – best-laid, leaked or otherwise – to go awry or be revised. That was the measured, intelligent view from Saracens’ in-form hooker Jamie George after his galloping try in a 55-13 European Champions Cup win over Oyonnax on Saturday.

The eight-try victory included a hat-trick on the wing by another England hopeful, Chris Ashton, and it made Saracens favourites for a home quarter-final, although they still have Toulouse away and Ulster at home to play next month in a tricky run of fixtures following on from Wasps, Leicester and Harlequins in the Premiership.

George could not be doing more to make his case to add to his three England caps, so did he find it disquieting to hear the reports last week that the new England head coach Eddie Jones fancied the Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley as the country’s captain?

“Pretty used to it,” was George’s reply when asked how he would feel if someone was ahead of him in the selection thinking. “It’s not a worry, it’s actually a long time away. This next five weeks for Saracens is a massive block of games that are back to back, very physical and very tough. Putting Saracens on the best foot after that is my main priority.

“It [the England selection] is completely out of my control, nothing’s been announced yet. Dylan is a great player and I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him. But I feel like I’m in a good position at the minute, I’m happy with the way I’m playing and that’s all I can focus on. If I continue to play well, hopefully selection will come off the back of it.”

Dylan Hartley 

29 years old

285 appearances for England and Northampton

2 red cards, 16 yellows, plus at least three retrospective citings that brought bans

When Hartley was dropped by England as a result of his suspension for butting George in last season’s Premiership semi-final, the 25-year-old Saracen took his place in the World Cup squad. But George played third fiddle to Tom Youngs of Leicester and Bath’s Rob Webber in the tournament. A comparison of disciplinary records may or not be of interest to Jones; the 29-year-old Hartley, whose main worry currently is that he has not played for six weeks due to concussion, has collected two red cards, 16 yellows and three bans from additional citings in his 285 appearances (213 starts and 72 as a replacement) for Northampton and England. By contrast, George’s 157 appearances (63 starts and 94 as replacement) for Saracens and England have produced no reds, no yellows and no bans. Not necessarily naughty and nice, but certainly different.

Jamie George 

25 years old 

157 appearances for England and Saracens

0 yellows, 0 reds, 0 bans

Defence, like discipline, is an interdependent part of rugby’s complex jigsaw, and Saracens have restricted their opponents to just seven tries this season, the latest scored by Fetu’u Vainikolo, the left wing in an Oyonnax team that is bottom of France’s Top 14. Really, it was an attack error as Vainikolo intercepted a pass by Charlie Hodgson. The Saracens defence coach Paul Gustard will be joining England after the five-week spell mentioned by George and the hooker said: “I’m really happy for Gussie and I’ve got no doubt he’s going to have every success with England. I don’t think it will be disruptive. We’ve got the system in place and we’ve got players who know the system. We’re playing a really nice brand of rugby, defensively strong, our set-piece is in a good place. So, form-wise, we’re feeling very good but we’ve also got a long way to go.”

Brad Barritt said the notion he may fill the Gustard gap by becoming a player-defence coach was “unfounded” but it is true that Barritt and the other inside centres and openside flankers take the lead in Saracens’ defensive set-up. “They’ll have a big role in terms of the transition from Gussie leaving,” added George.

In attack, Saracens have a wide range of fly-half skills offered by Owen Farrell and Hodgson, and it was the latter’s sharp, flat pass that made George’s try on Saturday, reminiscent of another scored by the hooker in the winning Premiership final against Bath last May. The front-rower has skippered Saracens this season when Ally Hargreaves was unavailable and, with his reliable throwing and scrummaging, George has played a big part in their 10 wins out of 10 in all competitions. National captaincy material? Over to you, Eddie.

Ashton is in prime working order, too, and now third on the all-time European Cup scorers’ list, six behind the leader, Vincent Clerc, who is still playing for Toulouse, and three adrift of the retired Brian O’Driscoll. In the absence of the England No 8 Billy Vunipola with a knee injury, Saracens brought in the Fijian-born Italy No 8, Samuela Vunisa, who registered his first two tries for the club. “You want to win every game and so far we have,” said Ashton. “We’re in the position we wanted but taking it week by week.