Maro Itoje comes of age with Lions captaincy
LONDON - Maro Itoje was long tipped to be a Test captain but had to bide his time before being handed two giant roles within the space of a few months -- England skipper and the leadership of the British and Irish Lions.
Itoje captained England's Under-20s to a world title in 2014 and as he rose through the ranks it was clear the Saracens lock was no ordinary player.
A constant threat at the breakdown, outstanding at the line-out and punishing in defence, the physically powerful Itoje had all the skills required of a modern-day flanker, a position where he won some of his early caps, as well as a second row.
But he was also something of a throwback to English rugby's amateur era, showing an impressive ability to communicate.
The young Itoje, the son of Nigerian parents, won a scholarship to the world-famous Harrow School -- whose former pupils include British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.
He excelled at school, going on to study politics at university in London before completing a business qualification alongside his rugby commitments.
Itoje has amassed 93 England Test caps, winning three Six Nations trophies.
He has also collected a mountain of silverware at club level, winning five Premiership titles and three European Champions Cups with Saracens.
But despite his prowess on the pitch, former England coach Eddie Jones was not initially convinced that Itoje was cut out for leadership.
In his book, "Leadership: Lessons From My Life In Rugby", published in 2021, the veteran Australian boss wrote: "I might be wrong, but I am not sure Maro is a future England captain.
"He is going to be one of the great players, but he is very inward-looking. He drives himself rather than anyone else. He doesn't usually influence people off the field."
Jones backtracked shortly after the book's publication, explaining that Itoje had matured rapidly, predicting he would be a future England skipper.
- 'Calm under pressure' -
Steve Borthwick took over from Jones in December 2022 but Owen Farrell was captain at the time and was succeeded by Jamie George.
Itoje was finally handed the job in January this year at the ripe old age of 30.
"Calm under pressure" were the words Borthwick used to describe his new skipper, citing Itoje's growing influence upon the rest of the squad.
The new man made his mark, leading England to a second place in this season's Six Nations, and caught the eye of Lions boss Andy Farrell, the father of Owen.
Itoje's rival for the Lions captaincy for the three-Test Australia tour, Ireland skipper Caelan Doris, misses out through injury.
"As a two-time tourist (in 2017 and 2021), Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer," said Farrell.
Itoje, the first black captain of the Lions, spoke of the "tremendous honour" when he was named skipper.
"I feel like I'm ready to do the role," he told Sky Sports. "I think I'm ready to do the job and I gain confidence from the quality of coaches we have, the quality of support staff we have and the quality of personnel we have within our squad."
The lock has the task of getting the best out of the top players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales in Australia and is clear about what he expects.
"I want this Lions squad to be tough. I look at our forwards and I see a group of tough men," he said.
"The Lions works when the players are selfless, so to make sure it's a successful tour we all have to be selfless and put the Lions at the forefront of everything we do."
Itoje brushed off Friday's 28-24 warm-up defeat against Argentina in Dublin, saying his side will "live, learn and get better".
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