England captain Dylan Hartley says: ‘We play for the Rose regardless of roots’
Nathan Hughes and Semesa Rokoduguni poised to play against the country of their birth when England face Fiji on Saturday
BEFORE we run out to play Fiji on Saturday, I’ll say my final words in the changing room and look all the boys in the eye.
As kick-off approaches, I’ll lead the boys down the tunnel and walk 20 metres or so on to the hallowed Twickenham turf.
In front of a sell-out 82,000 crowd, all 23 of us to a man will sing God Save the Queen. Every single one of us is proud to represent our country and wear the Rose on our chest.
The bonds that we have as a group have become even tighter during the past year we have been together.
From all the effort we put in together trying to win our first Six Nations Grand Slam in 13 years, to this summer’s historic series win in Australia.
The sacrifices we have made as a group and the hours we have put in training and preparing are just as extreme against Fiji as they were last week against South Africa.
We know we will be facing an equally proud and talented country on Saturday.
The game will be special to me as well as it’s the chance to face my Northampton Saints team-mates Campese Ma'afu and Api Ratuniyarawa.
We’ve all made it to the international stage our own ways and along so many different routes.
My own journey to make it to where I am today started in 2002 when, at just 16, I left Rotorua in New Zealand with nothing but my boots and a dodgy scrum hat.
I was 12,000 miles away from my family with one aim — to play for England, the country where my mum was from.
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I knew it wouldn’t be easy but, even then, I had the drive to just put my head down and go for it.
When I arrived here, I lodged with my auntie and uncle in Crowborough, East Sussex.
Because I was still a teenager, I was going to college at the Beacon Academy, the local school, and played for them before progressing into the county set-up and then the England schoolboy ranks.
During those early England days, I met guys like James Haskell and Mike Brown — both of whom are my team-mates now and have been for pretty much all of my England career.
After a small stint in the Worcester Warriors academy, Northampton Saints signed me up and some 200 games later here I am.
A Northampton boy, living with a Northampton girl — my partner Jo — and our beautiful baby daughter Thea.
I’m proud of my roots and where I’ve come from. I know everyone else is the same.
And I know all of the guys in this team, whether they were born in Fiji or Feltham, New Zealand or New Malden, Australia or Altrincham are exactly the same.