Mike Brown tells Scots: Don’t mess with me or Dylan Hartley
Full-back Brown, who has earned a reputation as England‘s ‘Mr Angry’ and the notoriously volatile new England captain Hartley are obvious targets for the Scots before and during the game at Murrayfield.
“If they focus on one guy then there’s 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.”
The fiery Harlequins No.15 said he had no doubts about Hartley’s ability to ignore the barbs despite a red-mist reputation which has seen the Northampton hooker serve over a year in bans for multiple offences.
“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.”
Brown said he understood new coach Eddie Jones‘ desire to give England more of an aggressive edge by making Hartley leader.
“It’s not about being nasty. It’s about being confrontational and aggressive. Playing is about being in their faces and making life uncomfortable for them.
“We certainly have got it in us to be that way. There are different ways of going about it. Chris Robshaw is a quieter guy but he certainly puts it about. He is physical. You don’t have to be like myself where it’s pretty obvious that I’m revved up. To be successful as an international team you have to play on the edge, have that edge, be confrontational and never take a step back.”
Brown said he had no qualms about following Hartley. “He leads from the front. He’s aggressive, he’s confrontational, he never takes a backward step.
“Dylan is a good appointment. He has shown what he can do at Northampton. I’ve grown up playing alongside him since the (England) U21s. He was a leader back then, and he is now. That’s why he’s been chosen.”
He said this was no criticism of his Quins team-mate, Robshaw, who was deposed as captain. “That’s not to say Chris isn’t a leader. Being England captain is hyped up quite a lot. You can’t do that job if you don’t have the leaders around you. I’ve said that if you look at the 2003 England World Cup winning team they had a captain in every position.
“That’s what we are striving to have. As for me, being a slightly older than some of the guys here and being more experienced, I need to do that. For me, being a leader is setting good examples on and off the field.”
Brown said Scotland could expect to face an England side which Jones has told to play with the brakes off.
“He wants us to play quick, never let the opposition defence settle, getting ball to space and going at teams. He wants defences to feel uncomfortable, unable to relax because we keep at them at pace.
“Personally, I love that. It’s the way ‘Quins play – high tempo. We like to make life uncomfortable for teams by never allowing them to settle.”
NICK CAIN
