Maro Itoje, the newly appointed captain of England’s Six Nations team, has made it his mission to unleash the team’s potential.
Itoje, who took over the captaincy from Jamie George after a disappointing 2024 in which he won just five of 12 Tests, is determined to turn things around for coach Steve Borthwick.
The team faced heavy criticism following their third successive defeat at the Allianz Stadium last autumn, but Itoje insists proving the critics wrong is not their main focus.
“This Six Nations means a lot to us, not necessarily about silencing the critics or anything like that, but about achieving what we want to achieve as a team,” he said. “England have the potential to perform well and win against all teams. We really want to fulfill our potential and move in the right direction. That will be judged by how successful we are.”
He acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in the final stages of games over the past year, but remained optimistic about their trajectory.
However, he emphasized the need for effort and improvement, saying, “It is not enough to say, ‘Do what you did yesterday and expect different results today.’”
“We have to work harder in almost every aspect because we are not where we want to be. We have to do more to get to where we want to be.”
Itoje is set to captain England for the first time since previously taking on the leadership role in place of George.
The 30-year-old has been tipped as a future skipper several times before, despite former coach Eddie Jones doubting his promotion to the role in 2021, saying he was “very introverted”.
Nonetheless, after a season in which he led Saracens, he continues to rise as he takes on one of the most prestigious roles in English rugby. Coach Itoje, who is known for consistently showing outstanding play and standing out on the international stage, emphasizes the importance of maintaining the basics for success.
He said, “What I need is to build on a lot of the work I’m already doing. We often talk about great leaders and what they do, or great captains, and we talk about the most important thing of all: There’s no doubt about it. It’s up to you to play well.
“It’s more important than any speech I can give. It’s more important than any interview I can give. How I walk, how I talk.” He concluded: “My priority is to make sure I play well, because playing well is the best form of leadership a person can have.”
