Hartley: England will stay grounded after first-Test success

Hartley skippered his team to a 39-28 victory at the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, with England recovering from 10-0 down to emerge with the win.

Owen Farrell kicked 24 points, while Jonathan Joseph, Marland Yarde and Jack Nowell all grabbed tries.

Hartley and Luther Burrell both started for England, with Saints team-mates Courtney Lawes and Paul Hill getting game time from the bench during the second half.

The Red Rose will now set sights on victory in Melbourne next Saturday, knowing that a win there would secure an historic series win.

But Saints hooker Hartley says there is no chance he and the rest of the England squad will be getting ahead of themselves after the Brisbane brilliance.

“First and foremost, the result was key for us,” Hartley said.

“The way we started the game will need some looking at and we’re going to keep our feet on the ground because we’re well aware that it’s the first of three.

“We put all our focus and our energy into this first game and it’s a good way to start our campaign.

“They had a lot of ball in the first 20 minutes, we struggled to get a foothold in the game and we went 10-0 down, but when we got down their end and got points on the board, it was reassuring.

“It’s great character from the boys to play to the 80th minute because I was on the edge of my seat (after being replaced).

“It’s building up to be a big series and it’s exciting.

“We’ll enjoy this now, keep our egos in check and move onto the next one.”