It was a day that always felt destined to come. From the moment that Maro Itoje pulled on an England shirt in 2016, a 21-year-old lock looking right at home at Test level, it seemed virtually certain that he would one day ascend to the highest of playing offices.
The qualities that marked Itoje out back then as a special talent remain after his elevation to the captaincy. A leader by action and word, the second row is approaching his second decade in an England shirt without yet coming under serious threat for his place in the side; even amid a worrying battle with a health issue a couple of years ago, the exact details of which remain undisclosed, Itoje endured as one of his side’s best performers. When Eddie Jones dismissively declared Itoje as “inward-looking” and the wrong type of leader for his side during his tenure as coach, the lock took the criticism on the chin, knuckled down and got better – but refused to bend or buckle on his style.
“If you look at the great leaders of the past, the common trait amongst them is authenticity,” he explained to The Independent in October, perhaps suspecting that his anointment may soon come. Having been confirmed as captain of Saracens at the start of the season, and with Jamie George unlikely to make the next World Cup, the likelihood always was that Itoje would end up leading England into the tournament in Australia in 2027.
His time is now. “When I asked him to captain the team, the smile that spread across his face could have lit up the whole of England,” Steve Borthwick said, having met with Itoje on the morning before he confirmed his squad for a vital Six Nations. “He will do everything he can to help serve this team and be the best leader he can.
“I came back into the England squad as head coach two years ago and it struck me with Maro – having been away for a number of years from the England squad and having not coached him in that period – that he thinks really well under pressure. He stays calm under pressure. He’s a guy that the diligence of the way he goes about his work every single day is first class.
“He’s a guy I’ve seen from being like a schoolboy when I was a player at Saracens and seeing him start to come through. We saw the emergence then of somebody who was always going on to be a world-class player. Now he is a truly world-class player who we all have incredible respect for.
“When I chatted to Maro, I said I wanted him to captain in his way. Everyone sees the commitment with which he plays. Every England supporter sees the commitment with which he plays. When you have somebody that fights that hard for the shirt and for his team, it’s somebody everyone can relate to. It’s ‘I’d want to be led by that man’.”
Itoje’s pedigree as a leader is significant, which always made Jones’s comments perplexing. A Junior World Cup-winning captain with England’s Under-20s, he grew into a figure of significant stature quickly at Saracens even in a squad blessed with some of the game’s biggest personalities. The last three permanent England captains have all been drawn from north London and Itoje will no doubt have learnt plenty from Owen Farrell and George, who remains as a lieutenant.
It is hard not to feel sorry for George, who served the office impeccably even during significant troubles both personally and for the team. Ever willing to front up before and after even the most despairing of defeats, the hooker has spoken with refreshing candour and charm. His demotion is not necessarily a reflection of his performance levels, with the 34-year-old remaining the best set-piece operator in the English game.
But Borthwick has decided it is time for a change. It comes partly out of a desire to maintain captaincy continuity on the pitch across the entirety of the contest. Itoje, who has regularly assumed the role of skipper after his teammate’s substitution over the last 12 months, is an 80-minute man; George, largely by dint of his position, is not. His starting place may yet come under threat as Theo Dan and Gabriel Oghre develop, and Luke Cowan-Dickie finds resurgent form.
There is also an element, though, of England needing a shake-up. While Itoje is a long-term appointment whom Borthwick sees as leading the team into the 2027 World Cup, it is also a decision made by a coach under significant scrutiny. However impressive George was as a leader, he presided over a side that won just five of 12 games in 2024. While he may, privately and correctly, point to the fact that he was largely off the field when those games were lost, this is not a time to stick with the status quo.
“He’s a wonderful rugby player and I think he’s, for such a long time now, been central in this England team and such an incredible influence in English rugby,” Borthwick said of George.
“It was a challenging conversation. He was clearly disappointed but at the same point in time, he’s also always putting the team first. Everyone can see the competition for places at hooker.”
With the coaching staff and the rest of the squad settled, options for a change were limited. Even with Sam Underhill, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank as significant injury absentees, there appears meagre scope for major changes to Borthwick’s preferred side. Genge and Will Stuart are almost certain to be the starting props; a fit-again Ollie Chessum will feature alongside Itoje, Ben Earl and probably George Martin in the back five. The playmaking balance, as always, will dominate pre-tournament discussion: Marcus Smith has expressed a desire to remain at fly-half, even as his flexibility to play full-back offers an intriguing tactical option.
The red-hot form of Saracens No 8 Tom Willis, just about the Premiership’s best player this season, may force a back-five remodelling, though that could come as the campaign progresses, with England’s Six Nations start particularly demanding. Borthwick refused to confirm suggestions that the blitz defence that faltered in November would be pared back, though a need for street smarts may lead to subtle changes in approach with Ireland and France first up.
“If we were characterised in 2024 as a team with line speed, I want us to be a team with line speed as we continue. Clearly, there are bits in every area of the game that you amend and evolve to improve and I expect that to be the case as soon as we get the players into camp next week,” explained Borthwick.
“I think there’s a lot of consistency with how we want to play. A year ago, I talked about us developing on the attacking side of the ball and that continues. The nature of the team is changing; England historically are a team with a big forward pack. We’ve got a fast, athletic back row, and fast, athletic backs and we’ll play accordingly.”
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