It was a day that always seemed destined to come. From the moment Maro Itoje pulled on an England jersey in 2016, a 21-year-old who seemed perfectly at home at Test level, it seemed all but certain that he would one day rise to the highest playing duties.
The qualities that distinguished Itoje as a special talent at the time remain after his elevation to captaincy. A leader through action and words, the second row is approaching his second decade in the England jersey without yet being seriously threatened for his place in the team; Even amid a worrying battle with a health issue a few years ago, the exact details of which remain confidential, Itoje remained one of his team’s best players. When Eddie Jones disdainfully said Itoje was “withdrawn” and not the right type of leader for his team during his coaching tenure, the lock took the criticism on the chin , got down on his knees and got better – but refused to bend or buckle down. style.
“If you look at great leaders of the past, the common trait among them is authenticity,” he told The Independent in October, perhaps suspecting that his anointing might soon arrive. Having been confirmed as Saracens captain at the start of the season and with Jamie George unlikely to feature at the next World Cup, it was always likely that Itoje would end up leading England to the tournament in Australia in 2027.
His time has come. “When I asked him to captain the team, the smile that spread across his face could have lit up all of England,” said Steve Borthwick, after meeting Itoje in the morning before confirming his squad for a vital Six Nations Tournament. “He will do everything he can to help this team and be the best leader he can be.
“I came back into the England team as head coach two years ago and it struck me with Maro – having been away from the England team for several years and not having him not trained during this period – that he thinks very well under pressure He remains calm under pressure He is a guy for whom the diligence with which he goes about his job every day is first class.
“He’s a guy I saw from being as a schoolboy when I was a player at Saracens and seeing him start to come through. We then saw someone emerge who was always going to be a class player He is now a world-class player for whom we all have incredible respect.
“When I spoke with Maro, I said I wanted him to be captain in his own way. Everyone sees the commitment with which he plays. Every English supporter sees the commitment with which he plays. When you have someone who fights that hard for the jersey and for his team, he’s someone that everyone can relate to. It’s ‘I would like to be led by this man.’
Itoje’s pedigree as a leader is significant, which has always made Jones’ comments perplexing. A Junior World Cup-winning captain with the England Under-20s, he quickly became a high-profile figure at Saracens, even in a team boasting some of football’s biggest personalities. England’s last three permanent captains were all recruited from north London and Itoje will no doubt have learned a lot from Owen Farrell and George, who remains a lieutenant.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for George, who has served the office excellently even during significant issues, both personally and for the team. Always ready to show off before and after even the most desperate defeats, the whore spoke with refreshing frankness and charm. His demotion does not necessarily reflect his performance, with the 34-year-old remaining the best set-piece operator in English football.
But Borthwick decided it was time for a change. This partly comes from a desire to maintain continuity of on-field captaincy throughout the competition. Itoje, who regularly takes on the role of skipper after replacing his teammate over the past 12 months, is an 80-minute man; George, largely because of his position, is not. His starting place could still be under threat as Theo Dan and Gabriel Oghre develop and Luke Cowan-Dickie returns to resurgent form.
However, there is also an element that England need a shake-up. Although Itoje is a long-term appointment that Borthwick sees as leading the team towards the 2027 World Cup, it is also a decision made by a coach who is under intense scrutiny. As impressive as George has been as a leader, he has presided over a team that has won just five of 12 games in 2024. Although he may privately and rightly emphasize the fact that he was in largely off the field when those games were lost, now is not the time to stick with the status quo.
“He’s a wonderful rugby player and I think he’s been such a pivotal part of this England team for so long and he’s had an incredible influence on English rugby,” Borthwick said of George.
“It was a difficult conversation. He was clearly disappointed, but at the same time, he always puts the team first. Everyone can see the competition for hooker spots.
Once the coaching staff and the rest of the team were settled, the opportunities for change were limited. Even with Sam Underhill, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank as significant absentees through injury, it appears the chances of major changes are slim to Borthwick’s favored team. Genge and Will Stuart will almost certainly be the starting props; a fit-again Ollie Chessum will feature alongside Itoje, Ben Earl and probably George Martin in the bottom five. The balance of play, as always, will dominate pre-tournament discussions: Marcus Smith has expressed his desire to remain at flyhalf, although his flexibility to play at full-back offers an intriguing tactical option.
The red-hot form of Saracens number 8 Tom Willis, just about the best player in the Premiership this season, could force a reshaping of the back five, although that could come as the campaign progresses, the start of the Six Nations of England being particularly demanding. Borthwick refused to confirm suggestions that the blitzkrieg defense that failed in November would be scaled back, although the need to be street smart could lead to subtle changes in approach, with Ireland and France first.
“If we were characterized in 2024 as a team with line speed, I want us to be a team with line speed as we continue. Obviously there are elements in every area of the game that you change and evolve to improve and I expect that to be the case as soon as we have the players in camp next week,” explained Borthwick .
“I think there’s a lot of consistency in how we want to play. A year ago I talked about our development on the offensive side of the ball and that continues. The nature of the team changes; England are historically a team with a big attacking group. We have a fast, athletic backline and fast, athletic backs and we will play accordingly.