Star hits back at Eddie’s ‘inaccurate’ sled

Maro Itohe has hit back at Eddie Jones’ negative assessment of his ability as captain, saying the former manager was “incorrectly diagnosed” before he led England on the pitch.

Itoje, who will succeed Owen Farrell as captain of Saracens for the new season, is a possible future international captain and has hit back at former England boss Jones’ fierce criticism of the player’s ability to lead England three years ago.

In his book, Jones writes:map‘ described the Lions’ second-string star as “introverted”, adding that he “pushes himself more than others”.

“I could be wrong but I’m not sure Maro is a future England captain,” Jones wrote. Leadership: Lessons from Rugby Life.

“He will be one of the greatest players ever, but Maro is very introverted. He pushes himself more than others. He doesn’t usually influence people off the pitch.”

Jones’ comments were later proven wrong, with Itoje taking over as England captain from Jamie George after his Saracens team-mate was off the pitch for the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.

England’s Maro Itoje throws the ball against Fiji. (Photo: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Australian’s comments, made in 2022 when he was sacked, were frowned upon given he was still in charge of Twickenham at the time and it was seen as an inaccurate portrayal of Itoje.

“I felt like that was a misdiagnosis of who I am. Most people who know me and most people who read that comment who know me would say that’s an inaccurate conclusion about who I am,” Itoje said.

“It was unfortunate that your coach said that about you, but in life, not everyone sees the world the same way as you.

“For me, it wasn’t necessarily a problem to overreact to that kind of thing. I just wanted to be consistent with who I believe in.

“For me, reflection is a really important part of what I do. I think I have a pretty accurate assessment of who I am, what I like, and what drives me.”

Jones claimed he sent Itoje to acting classes to bring out his “inner spark”, but the Saracens forward denied any such incident took place.

“I wasn’t waltzing across the stage and rehearsing Shakespearean prose,” he said.

“I was working with a psychologist at the time to discuss how to communicate more clearly and get my message across in a more effective way.”

When Saracens rugby director Mark McCall asked Itoje to captain the side during the summer, he immediately accepted – but the England captaincy is not on his radar.

“That position was filled by my friend and teammate Jamie George, so I don’t comment on other people’s work. I’m just getting started. I want to do my best and see where it goes,” he said.

“I didn’t go to bed praying that I wanted to be a captain,” he said. “I think it’s always been in me, around me. Leadership is something I’m interested in.

With AAP