Eddie Jones was in the crowd on Friday night to watch Leinster take on Northampton, but he was clearly unhappy with what he saw.
Firstly, Leinster were dominant on the night and outclassed Northampton as tries from Garry Ringrose, Sean O'Brien, Rory O'Loughlin and Jamison Gibson-Park gave Leo Cullen's side a 37-10 win.
Secondly, for much of the second half, Northampton played with 14 men after Dylan Hartley was shown a red card for a reckless hit on O'Brien. Referee Jérôme Garcès showed no hesitation in handing the England captain his marching orders, and having only come on six minutes earlier, it was the type of display that will surely infuriate the head coach of the national side.
Luckily, viewers at home were left in no doubt as to how Jones felt about it as the camera cut to him in the stands while Hartley made his way from the field of play. We're no body language experts, but there was no mistaking his reaction.
.@SaintsRugby's Dylan Hartley is sent off for a dangerous tackle on @leinsterrugby's Sean O'Brien. #ChampionsCup https://t.co/H9C0S6SbnB
— BT Sport Rugby (@btsportrugby) December 9, 2016
Hartley's poor disciplinary record was not counted against him when Jones announced him as England captain back in January, but it may well be an issue for him in the coming weeks, as he could now miss out on game time at the Six Nations.
After some great performances from the English national side lately, there had been talk that he may even have been in the frame for the Lions' captaincy, but Brian O'Driscoll was not so sure on Twitter in the wake of the game.
Very solid performance from @leinsterrugby tonight with room for improvement. Mindless from Hartley. Lions Captain???!
— Brian O'Driscoll (@BrianODriscoll) December 9, 2016
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