Maro Itoje will lead England into the Six Nations (Image: PA)
Maro Itoje, the newly appointed captain of ‘s team, has made it his mission to unlock the squad’s potential.
Taking over captaincy duties from Jamie George after a disappointing 2024 that saw only five victories in 12 Tests, Itoje is determined to turn things around for head coach .
The team faced heavy criticism following three consecutive defeats at Allianz Stadium last autumn, but Itoje insists that proving critics wrong isn’t their main focus.
“This Six Nations is huge for us. It’s not necessarily about silencing critics or anything like that, it’s about achieving what we want to achieve as a team,” he stated. “England have the potential to do well and win against all the teams. Really we want to fulfil our potential and take a step 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 remains optimistic about their trajectory.
However, he stressed the need for hard work and improvement, saying: “It’s not good enough to say: ‘do what you did yesterday and expect a different result today’.
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Maro Itoje has impressed for England previously (Image: PA)
“We need to work harder in almost all aspects because we are not where we want to be. To get to where we want to get to, we need to do more.”
Itoje is set to captain England for the very first time after previously stepping up into a leadership role when deputising for George.
The 30-year-old has been tipped as a future skipper many times before, even though former coach Eddie Jones doubted his promotion to the post in 2021, calling him “very inward-looking”.
Nevertheless, following a season that saw him leading Saracens, his ascent continues as he takes on one of the most prestigious roles in English rugby. Known for his consistently superb play and standing out on the international stage, Itoje emphasises the importance of sticking to fundamentals for success.
He said: “What is required for me is to build on a lot of the things that I am already doing. We often speak about great leaders and what they do, or great captains, and first and foremost the most important thing, without any shadow of a doubt, is that you play well.
“That’s more important than any speech I can make, that’s more important than any interview that I could give, or how I walk, how I talk.” He concluded: “My priority is making sure that I play well, because by playing well, that is the best form of leadership that one can do.”