Eddie Jones will have a trick up his sleeve when England face Japan, says Dylan Hartley

But it was a corrosive reign, with coaching staff coming and going and a strained relationship with the media.

He was sacked less than a year from the 2023 World Cup with very few people in his corner, and has resurfaced in Japan - via a similarly troubled spell with his native Australia - and found an ally in the man he made England captain.

Dylan Hartley believes Jones’ no-nonsense approach was exactly what England needed in the wake of the World Cup collapse under Stuart Lancaster in 2015.

“England were a shower after the World Cup. There was no backbone, no belief and Eddie inherited that squad,” said Hartley, who was made captain by Jones, the pair leading England to an immediate Six Nations grand slam.

“Eddie came in and had to change things. When you do that you cannot pull a band aid plaster off slowly. You have to rip it off and jump straight in.

“He made us fitter, made us train harder. He showed us what professionalism looked like.

"For the three years I was involved, it was hard. But we were laying the foundations for a new culture and a better one which saw us to the 2019 World Cup final and the semi-finals in 2023.

“He came in and said, ‘We are going to do this, but it will be ugly. ‘

“We benefited from it. And that was the start of a pretty successful period in English rugby history. The foundations were laid by a hard man who delivers results. Most players respected and appreciated being driven like that. That way you maximise your potential. I trusted Eddie from the start. He was very fair. But he made it clear there would be no cutting corners or sacrifices. We had to earn the right.”

And Hartley, who made 97 appearances for England, says the way Jones was sacked in late 2022 left a sour taste in his mouth.

“The pitchforks were out for him,” said Hartley. “It all collapsed like a ton of bricks. But I respected him because he was consistent throughout. He is true to his colours. He fronts up every week. Says what he thinks and goes for it. He was always consistent.

“The English public and the RFU should have thanked him far more. He gave us some fantastic years of rugby.”

England begin their summer campaign against Jones’ Japan in Tokyo on Saturday (6.50am UK time) before two Tests against New Zealand on July 6 and 13.

Japan are underdogs, but Hartley says the chance to get one over his former employers will serve as a huge inspiration for Jones, who oversaw the Cherry Blossoms beating South Africa in 2015.

“He relishes conflict and confrontation,” Hartley told Grosvenor Sport. “When we went to Australia under him, as an Aussie he really wanted to beat them. He gets competitive. For him it is the game within the game.

“I have no doubt this will mean a huge amount to him and an opportunity for what is a Tier 2 team to do one over a Tier 1 side and hope to catch them cold. I am sure he will have something up his sleeve.”