Maro Itoje demands hard work as England look to put difficult 2024 behind them

Maro Itoje has made realising England’s potential his number one priority after being installed as captain for the Six Nations.

Itoje has taken charge of the team in place of Jamie George following a 2024 that produced just five wins in 12 Tests, a disappointing year that has turned the upcoming tournament into a pivotal period for head coach Steve Borthwick.

The nadir of those results was three successive losses at Allianz Stadium during the autumn and England were roundly criticised as a result, but Itoje insists proving people wrong cannot be the motivation for delivering in the Championship.

“To succeed you need to win. We want to grow, develop and progress. To do those things we need to get the right results.

“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.

“We have fallen short over the last year in the final stages of games. While I think we are on a positive trajectory, it requires more to get the results you want.

“It’s not good enough to say: ‘do what you did yesterday and expect a different result today’.

“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.”

It is the first time that Itoje will skipper England, although he deputised for George last year when his Saracens team-mate left the field later in games.

The 30-year-old has long been seen as captain-in-waiting, although Borthwick’s predecessor Eddie Jones said in 2021 that he doubted he would ever be promoted to the post, describing him as “very inward-looking”.

But a season that started with the Lions second row being placed in charge of Saracens continues with his rise to the most coveted role in English rugby.

A consistently excellent performer and one of the national side’s few world-class players, Itoje believes he must focus on the basics if he is to be a success.

“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.

“My priority is making sure that I play well, because by playing well, that is the best form of leadership that one can do.”