Dylan Hartley facing long layoff with another head injury and a doubt for England’s tour to South Africa

The England captain has not played since Ireland claimed the Grand Slam at Twickenham

Dylan Hartley’s latest injury is far from the only problem facing Northampton (Getty)

Dylan Hartley is a doubt for England’s summer tour to South Africa after it emerged he suffered a concussion against Ireland which has already side-lined him for three weeks.

The England captain - who said in 2016 he would consider retiring if he suffered a third head injury that season after back-to-back concussions saw him forced to sit out 14 weeks of it - has not played since Ireland claimed the Grand Slam at Twickenham on March 17.

He missed Saturday’s humiliating 63-13 defeat to Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton’s fourth crushing loss to Mark McCall’s men this season, and there appears no immediate prospect of a return to action.

England are scheduled to play three Tests against the Springboks this summer, with the first in Johannesburg on June 9, and with his chequered injury history, Hartley could be facing another long lay-off.

Dylan Hartley has been sidelined for three weeks (Getty)

“When you look at the focus on concussion now then it’s a concern for all players,” said Northampton interim head coach Alan Dickens when asked about Hartley’s latest concussion.

“Dylan will go through the protocols which begin at the start of each week.”

There is no suggestion at this stage that Hartley, 32, is considering retiring, although the latest head injury must be a concern for a player who two years ago admitted he was unable to ride his bike for several weeks after being knocked out playing for England and would consider retiring if he suffered another head injury.

“If I got another one now, I would be worried,” Hartley said at the time. “I would probably start looking at other careers or stuff like that, or maybe a long lay-off. Maybe I [need to] look at my tackling technique, too.

“I just had a constant reminder every time that you see your kid and you think, ‘If I hit my head again, what’s that going to mean?”

A joint RFU, Premiership Rugby and Rugby Players Association injury survey recently revealed concussion rates in England’s top league have continued to rise despite World Rugby’s attempts to reduce head injuries by enforcing a zero tolerance approach to high tackles.

Concussion remains the most common injury for a professional player to suffer while, perhaps most concerningly, head injury rates in training last season rose significantly despite calls for stricter limits to contact training.

Saturday’s one-sided encounter at Franklin’s Gardens, which Hartley missed, saw referee Craig Maxwell-Keys award three high tackle penalties, two against Saracens fly half Owen Farrell, but no cards were shown.

As rugby continues to wrestle with its concussion problem, there appears to be a disconnect between World Rugby’s rhetoric and match official’s willingness to drive through a cultural change which would see high tackles eradicated from the sport.

Hartley’s concerning latest injury is far from the only problem facing Northampton, who shipped 48 unanswered points in the second half on Saturday in one of the worst performances ever witnessed at Franklin’s Gardens.

Concussion remains one of the biggest talking points in the game (Getty) (Getty Images)

Saracens, who closed the gap on Exeter at the top of the Premiership table, became the first side ever to score nine tries in a top-flight match against Saints at home and Dickens labelled the performance “embarrassing”.

It was hard to disagree. After taking an early lead through a well-taken try by Hartley’s replacement Reece Marshall and two penalties from fly half Stephen Myler, Saints capitulated yet again to a Saracens side who have now scored 33 tries in four games in all competitions against them this season.

Lying 10th in the Premiership table, the arrival of Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd this summer cannot come soon enough for a once great club which has completely lost its way on the pitch.

A clear out of players is expected this summer, with the long-serving Myler among those who has already been told his services will no longer be required, and a radical overhaul to their playing style and resources is urgently needed to address a deep malaise which has not been halted by Jim Mallinder’s sacking as director of rugby last December.

Things look considerably rosier on the field for Saracens, who bounced back from last weekend’s European Champions Cup quarter final defeat to Leinster in perfect fashion.

Young England hopeful Alex Lozowski produced an exceptional display in the unaccustomed position of outside centre, where he looks to have a hugely promising future, while Wales full back Liam Williams was back to the razor-sharp form he showed on last summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

McCall’s men endured a torrid week last week, when the club’s financial frailties were laid bare with the news their principal South African backers had sold back their 50 per cent share of the club to long-standing benefactor Nigel Wray, but they showed their steel on the field with an impressive display.

They remain serious Premiership title contenders. Northampton are nothing of the sort.