Rugby

Maro Itoje rejects Eddie Jones’ claims he is not suited to England captaincy

Former coach has claimed Itoje was ‘very inward looking’ and had been sent to acting classes to improve leadership

Maro Itoje of England. Photograph: Teresa Suarez/EPA
Maro Itoje of England. Photograph: Teresa Suarez/EPA
Gerard Meagher
Wed Sept 18 2024 - 18:10

Maro Itoje has rejected claims by the former England head coach Eddie Jones that he is “very inward-looking” and not suited to Test captaincy, speaking after being unveiled as Saracens’ skipper.

Itoje takes over from Owen Farrell, after the outhalf’s move to Racing 92, in what is his first senior captaincy role. The 29-year-old was earmarked as a future England captain early in his career after bursting on to the Test scene eight years ago but Jones never saw fit to install him in the role, claiming in a 2021 book that he had sent Itoje to acting classes in an effort to improve his leadership.

“I might be wrong, but I am not sure Maro is a future England captain,” Jones wrote. “He is going to be one of the great players, but Maro is very inward-looking. He drives himself rather than anyone else. He doesn’t usually influence people off the field.”

Given Jones was still England head coach at the time it was a stunning claim to make and, though the Australian has since hinted at a change of heart, Itoje has issued a firm rebuttal of those views and set the record straight over his thespian exploits.

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“I felt that was a wrong diagnosis of who I am,” said Itoje, speaking for the first time since his appointment. “Most people who know me, most people who read those comments who knew me, would say that was an inaccurate conclusion to who I am as a person. I guess it was unfortunate that your coach would say something like that about you but in life not everyone is going to see the things that way you see it.

“I can confirm that I never went to acting lessons. I worked with the psychologist at the time in terms of how to communicate more clearly and get a message across in a more effective manner. I was not waltzing across a stage and practising my Shakespearean prose.”

Saracens’ director of rugby, Mark McCall, pointed to a false narrative that Itoje is “a little bit self-absorbed” insisting it “couldn’t be further from the truth”. But while he has acted as on-field captain when Jamie George has been replaced under Steve Borthwick, he has never fulfilled the role from the start for England.

With George now 33, however, Itoje is widely tipped to succeed him and is also among the favourites for the British & Irish Lions captaincy in Australia next summer. For now, though, he is concentrating on beginning his Saracens tenure at Gloucester on Saturday and intends to lead by being “as authentically myself as possible”, citing Farrell, Brad Barritt, Borthwick and Neil de Kock as captains who have had a significant impact on him.

Outside rugby, he references Patrick Vieira – Itoje is a keen Arsenal fan – as well as Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, and Muhammad Ali as influences. “[Vieira] was tough,” added Itoje of Arsenal’s captain when they won the Premier League undefeated in 2004. “Extremely tough. He was a no-nonsense player, he was elegant. I loved his spats with Roy Keane in the tunnel. He was graceful, he didn’t seem like the loudest man in the room but he had a presence about him. He knew he had the respect of his team-mates and he was a winner. He was captain of Arsenal during their most successful period ... what’s not to like?”

As a keen student of politics, his eyes also lit up when it was suggested he might pick the brains of Keir Starmer. “It’s always been about how best I could influence my team and team-mates. It’s not like I’ve gone to sleep praying to be captain. I feel like it’s something that’s always been in and around me. Leadership is something I’m interested in.”

It has been a busy summer for Itoje, who, as well as accepting the Saracens captaincy, proposed to his now fiancee, Mimi, while on holiday in Ghana – part of a natural maturation phase, perhaps, with his 30th birthday looming next month. “After [McCall asked him to be captain] I told him ‘thank you’, I was very humbled and honoured that he would consider me for this position and I told him yes. My yes to him wasn’t as quick as my fiancée’s yes to me. Both on and off the field, I guess things have taken a step up this summer and I am ready to go into the next chapter of life and rugby.” – Guardian

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