England captain Dylan Hartley gave a Twitter user more than he bargained for after it had been suggested he stand down from the role to be replaced by British and Irish Lions star Maro Itoje.
User John Huyton, who describes himself as a "passionate England, Lancashire & Orrell RUFC expert" on the social media platform, ventured the opinion after the 22-year-old Saracens lock's performances against the All Blacks had caught the eye.
He tweeted: "@maroitoje needs to be promoted @EnglandRugby Captain ASAP & future @lionsofficial Captain. Time to stand down @DylanHartley #WearTheRose."
However, having tagged Hartley into his post, he soon received a reply he may not have expected.
Using his official account, the 31-year-old Northampton hooker replied: "Ok cheers John will do."
Huyton also sought to canvas the opinions of other Twitter users on the subject, inviting them to vote "yes" or "no" to the question "Should Maro Itoje be installed as England Rugby captain now?"
Hartley promptly replied: "#ivoted."
The early responses suggested the poll's instigator was in the minority, the question attracting an 89 per cent "no" vote at one point, with user Alex Lear posting: "89% to 11% . sit down Jon I'm in the 89%."
Hartley, however, apparently disagreed, tweeting: "I was in the 11%".
Source: PA
