Maro Itoje could still lift the Six Nations trophy on Saturday night (Image: Getty)
Maro Itoje has urged his players to roar against Wales on Saturday and nail down a place on this summer’s Lions tour to Australia. Itoje is a certainty to make the trip but several England players like Ben Earl, Tommy Freeman and Alex Mitchell are fighting to get on the plane. Back in 2013 a handful of England stars, notably captain Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood, saw they chances of touring go up in smoke in the final round against the Welsh.
Heading to Cardiff with a Grand Slam on the line, Robshaw’s men were demolished 30-3 sinking their title hopes and blowing their chances of touring under Warren Gatland. Itoje and boss Steve Borthwick addressed the elephant in the room of tour selection at the start of the Six Nations and the skipper said today (SAT) is the day to confirm their spots. The skipper, a double Lion, said: “The better England does in the Six Nations the more likely more players from England are going to be selected. So, we all have a vested interest in making sure England are successful and we win as many games as possible, because when you’re part of a winning team, you look better.
“So, it works for England, and it works on the individual level as well. We haven’t shied away from the fact that it’s a Lions year. Everyone always put their hand up and wants to get recognised. But the best way to do that is to win for England, perform for England and then everyone shines.”
Back row Ben Earl, who would be a first-time Lion, added: “It’s naive not to address it. Everyone has personal aspirations, and everyone who’s been on a Lions tour that I’ve spoken to says it’s a highlight of their career. Everyone’s like ‘the team does well, we all do well individually’. That’s a good motto for us to go off. We’ll see what happens.”
Andy Farrell names his Lions squad on 8 May, but first England have a shot at the title. But they need a bonus point win and for France to slip up against France later tonight (SAT).
Wales will be fired up and the Principality Stadium will be a cauldron but Itoje has vowed to take the game to the hosts and insisting he won’t be melting in the heat like Robshaw and co 12 years ago.
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He added: “It’s being aggressive with how we play but also in the mindset and mentality. You’re not coming here just to play pretty phases. You have to come here and play with an intent.
“The atmosphere is obviously great, it is a stadium you want to play in. I don’t see it as intimidating at all, I don’t see it as something to beware of or anything like that. I see it as something to relish and something to make our mindset tighter and bring us closer as a group.
“Whilst there are going be a lot of Welsh fans, there are going to be an awful lot of England fans here as well.
“It’s massively important for us in the development of this team. To be the team we want to be, we have to come to places like this and win, if we aspire to be the team we’re trying to build.”
Wales: B.Murray; E.Mee, M.Llewellyn, B.Thomas, J.Roberts; G.Anscombe, T.Williams; N.Smith, E.Dee, W.John, D.Jenkins, W.Rowlands, A.Wainwright, J.Morgan (capt), T.Faletau
Replacements: D.Lake, G.Thomas, H.Thomas, T.Williams, T.Reffell, R.Williams, J.Evans, N.Tompkins
England: M.Smith, T.Roebuck, T.Freeman, F.Dingwall. E.Daly; F.Smith, A.Mitchell; E.Genge, L.Cowan-Dickie, W.Stuart, M.Itoje (capt), O.Chessum, T.Curry, B.Curry, B.Earl
Replacements: J.George, F.Baxter, J.Heyes, C.Cunningham-South, H.Pollock, T.Willis. J.van Poortvliet, G.Ford
Referee: N.Berry (AUS)
Wales vs England, Saturday, Cardiff, 4.45pm, Sport