Lawes, who will miss the England’s opening match against Scotland on February 4 with a knee injury, has targeted a return in the clash with Italy a week later as he looks to continue his rise through the international ranks.

London-born Lawes, who was called up to the Saxons by England’s temporary head coach Stuart Lancaster in 2009, is delighted to see the likes of Chris Robshaw also make the step up to the senior side for the Six Nations.

But the 22-year-old has urged Lancaster to consider his Saints skipper Hartley as a replacement for the retired Lewis Moody as England captain.

Lawes said: “Dylan manages to combine both aspects of captaincy as he leads by example but knows when to make some good points on the field.

"Dylan's our skipper at the Saints and he does a brilliant job there but whoever leads, leads.

"I met Stuart Lancaster a couple of years ago when I got selected for the Saxons. The Saxons that year included the likes of Chris Robshaw, so it is good to see those boys named alongside me for the Six Nations in what is a strong team with some young players so it's looking promising.”

Despite England’s poor World Cup performance and subsequent reshuffle, one man to retain his place on the coaching staff is former Leicester prop Graham Rowntree, and Lawes is thrilled.

He added: "Graham was a top player and is a good coach. He knows how to hand on his experiences to the players and that is why he is so loved and why he is still coaching England.

"He's been given a much bigger role this time around. During the World Cup he was just in control of the scrum and this time he is in control of the whole forwards pack.”