Itoje will wear the armband for the first time against Ireland in Dublin next month
Why Maro Itoje as England captain, why now?
At the age of 30, he has spent a decade almost always linked with the appointment, but never landing it – utterly qualified as an automatic pick in the pack and a wonderful player, but not a better bet than, successively, Dylan Hartley, Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Ellis Genge or Jamie George.
Now Itoje has the role that is always loaded with a mixture of immediate need and symbolism and history, and perhaps never more so than in the hands of this studious son of Nigerian parents, and if all goes well there must be a chance he could keep it through to the next World Cup in 2027.
The words that leapt out as England’s head coach Steve Borthwick explained his choice on Tuesday were “respect” and “world-class”.
Neither description could have been applied to Borthwick’s team in the last calendar year, in which they lost seven of their 12 Tests, and only the win over Ireland at Twickenham last March came against highly-ranked opposition.
But they have always been associated with Itoje in his 88-cap England career, plus six Tests for the British & Irish Lions, aside maybe from a spell a couple of years ago when he was debilitated by an undisclosed medical problem.
With Ireland in Dublin looming in less than three weeks as England’s first date in the 2025 Six Nations, Itoje has the maturity and life experience to inspire confidence in a sceptical public and to cope with the national team at a crossroads – hoping for a much-needed resurgence, while in clear and present danger of continued frustration.
There was a feeling of short-term upset, and Borthwick asking George to step into a breach, when Farrell gave up playing for England after the 2023 World Cup.
It is not obvious why Borthwick didn’t plump for Itoje there and then – but there was a feeling around that England needed a smile on their faces after their grim rugby of the coach’s first year in charge, and George provided that.
The decision to move on from George now may reflect doubt over the chances of the 34-year-old making it to the next edition of the global event – or at least allow the hooker to concentrate on playing for his place against Theo Dan and a rejuvenated Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Probably the most significant quote attributed to Itoje by the Rugby Football Union on Tuesday was: “I’m at a point in my career where I feel ready to give my all to serve the team and the fans…”
And while it would not normally be England’s concern, Itoje could use this as a springboard to captain the Lions on tour this summer, which would reflect prestige back onto Twickenham at a time of bad publicity over the running of the RFU.
Itoje replaces Jamie George, who had been in charge since the 2023 World Cup (Photo: Getty)
Itoje also gives English rugby the intriguing profile of a man who has been photographed for the cover of Tatler, and whose Pearl Fund – the title being taken from his own nickname – raises money for education in Nigeria.
He was famously pictured in the company of Jay-Z, although Itoje has just left the music star’s Roc Nation PR agency for a London company called Ten Toes, whose roster includes England football captain Harry Kane and Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes.
Within the confines of the England squad, Itoje’s persona surely commands respect from younger bucks such as his likely locking partner, George Martin, and newly promoted No 8, Tom Willis.
In personal performance, England can expect nothing new from Itoje in the second row: which is to say he almost always brings an iron will to compete and tackle and carry from the first whistle to the last, since he co-captained his country’s Under-20s to a world title in 2014.
His durability was acknowledged by Borthwick as he said “any coach” would prefer their captain to be on the field for the full 80 minutes (which could rarely be the case for George as a starting hooker), and Itoje’s record is utterly staggering.
A quick perusal of statistics suggests Itoje may have played more minutes than any other senior international player in the past 10 years.
He is hardly ever substituted, so he has, for instance, 10 lots of 80 minutes in 14 appearances for club and country this season, 25 of 80 minutes in 33 matches last season, and 20 out of 23 the season before.
Indeed, the main loss of minutes for this man-mountain is to yellow cards: Itoje had two in his last four matches for Saracens, and six for them last season.
And even this apparent chink in the armour can be seen as a strength if you determine the offences were picked at the right moments, in the right places, to stem the opposition – as opposed to a loss of poise under pressure.
When Eddie Jones was England’s head coach up to the end of 2022, he actively questioned Itoje’s ability to lead. There was a hint in there of Jones’s mistrust of a system in which Itoje came through a well-heeled prep school in north London, followed by Harrow.
Since Borthwick took over, Itoje has been a vice-captain: sometimes leading and therefore dealing with the referee after George was substituted, and therefore partly implicated when England made late errors in their autumn defeats to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in November.
Itoje has, however, also maintained his reputation of never being dropped by England on form since his Test debut under Jones in 2016.
He will now be the figurehead at events such as next week’s Six Nations season launch in Rome, and leading the team out at Twickenham – where the punters’ patience for results has been painfully stretched – and in duties with media and sponsors.
Playing-wise, again, Itoje’s mighty gallop in a recent win over Bristol, throwing a lavish dummy switch that is a favourite ploy if he gets the chance, fits with Borthwick’s emphasis on “pace and athleticism” in his 36-man squad.
Just when you thought Maro Itoje couldn’t get any better, he does this 🤩#GallagherPrem @Saracens pic.twitter.com/uaouqzcYbr
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) January 6, 2025
The question remains open as to whether this fully translates from Borthwick’s mind to the team as a whole.
It was December 2015 when this correspondent first commended Itoje to captain his country.
So it has taken a long time for England to dot the i and cross the t in the name of Itoje – and still we must wait for the forthcoming Six Nations, and maybe the two years beyond to the World Cup, to see if his main task is stability on a familiarly rocky road, or guiding his team on a new path to glory.
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The post The Saracens trick that convinced Borthwick to pick Itoje as England captain first appeared on Rugby 247.
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-01-14 18:26:13
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