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Published 14:57 9 Mar 2022 GMT
Updated 15:00 9 Mar 2022 GMT
Dylan Hartley (L) and Paul Hill celebrate after a series win over Australia in 2016. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)[/caption]
O'BRIEN: I remember going into the [Lions] camp that day, and your gear was there. You were there that day with us. HARTLEY: I did the squad photo. They photo-shopped my face off, and put Rory Best on! I'd say it's the best rig Rory's ever had! I made his career, basically. He's now gone on to be Lord of Belfast or something, isn't he?!The 'made his career' line is delivered with a smile. Best and Hartley had lots of duels over the years - the former England star was banned two weeks after boxing the Ulsterman during a game - but there was a level of mutual respect there. Hartley grew up in New Zealand and only started living in England from the age of 15, so he says he was not as hung up on the British & Irish Lions and what it meant to play for them. "I didn't have an idea who the Lions were, because they toured New Zealand only every 12 years. Playing for the Lions wasn't something I was steeped in. It wasn't in my blood. It wasn't something I had grown up watching, and understood.
"After being selected, it was a huge honour and a huge moment. You do get pumped up when you make the tour, and it is good for financial reasons. But when I missed out, I wasn't bothered about it. "Looking back now, it would have been great craic to be involved, as it was a series the Lions had won... but, at the time, I was more upset about what had happened with Northampton. It wasn't so much about me, it was about the team, the town, the club. That, compared to the Lions, it didn't really bother me."Hartley, who retired from rugby in 2019, now reflects that every time he had on-field disciplinary issues 'something in my life wasn't quite right'. "It's not like I just decided in a game to do something crazy. It was all built up, and something off the field was happening."
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