Dylan Hartley believes that England head coach Stuart Lancaster made the right choice in not dropping him from the side following his disciplinary issues.

The Northampton Saints prop was handed a three-week suspension in December for elbowing Leicester Tigers centre Matt Smith - the fifth ban of his career to date.

Despite then being sent to the sin bin for tackling on the ground in his comeback game against Racing Metro, Lancaster opted to stand by the 28-year-old who has since helped England to two wins from two in their Six Nations campaign.

"It was said that Stuart had a perfect opportunity to drop me, but I think I've given him the reason to keep me here in the first two games," Hartley is quoted as saying by ESPN. "I'm not an enforcer. Someone like Billy Vunipola is our enforcer. My set piece is my first and foremost role, and I think that's why Stuart has got me in the team.

"I'm confident in my ability there. I know what I'm good at and I'm happy with that. I know when I get it right I can do the business on the day, so I wasn't worried about being dropped. I don't think anyone on the field wants to get yellow cards.

"There's a fine line and cards seem to find their way to me. I'm well aware of that before I take the field. I understand what the perception of me is. Whenever I can, I change that. But unfortunately it's hard to change. And every now and then I give them something to keep that perception alive."

England take on Ireland this weekend in a potential championship decider at the Aviva Stadium.