England head coach Steve Borthwick has backed ‘world-class’ Maro Itoje to succeed as England captain, and feels it is also a long-term appointment with one eye on the 2027 World Cup.
Itoje was named captain for the upcoming Six Nations yesterday, taking over from Jamie George in the process. The hooker has since been named as vice-captain.
Itoje to lead England into 2027 World Cup
When asked if the decision to make Itoje had one eye on the upcoming World Cup, Borthwick responded: “As we sit here now, I don’t see why not”.
The decision to look ahead to the World Cup is probably a clever one, especially within the realm of the captaincy. By 2027, George would be 36 years old compared to Itoje, who would be 32 by the time the tournament starts in Australia and likely play a bigger role as a result.
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On a similar train of thought, one caveat that has thwarted George’s captaincy is his lack of 80-minute performances. In England’s four November Tests, the hooker didn’t play for longer than 55 minutes, and over the course of his club season has only played more than 60 minutes on two occasions.
Compare this to Itoje, who played the full 80 in all four of the November Tests and regularly lasts the full match for his club side too.
“I think (playing the full 80) is one of the factors. If you ask any coach, the preference would always be to have the captain on for 80 minutes,” Borthwick said.
“That’s not always possible, and there are plenty of exceptions to that, but that would be most coach’s preferences.”
Itoje has already taken over the captaincy role in an England shirt, stepping in for George when the hooker was taken off during the autumn.
Borthwick backs ‘world-class’ Itoje to succeed as skipper
England come into the Six Nations after a turbulent 2024 Test season, in which they won just five of their 12 Tests and only two against Tier One nations, but the introduction of Itoje as captain does bring about some renewed hope and optimism.
Itoje was a standout player for his country during the last calendar year, putting in notable performances against the All Blacks and Springboks, and Borthwick was full of praise for his new skipper.
“I think when you make a decision like that, there are a number of factors to consider; where the team is, the game and what you feel the team needs in this next spell, and it’s best to have a lot of good leaders in this squad. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to name Maro as captain,” Borthwick added.
“Maro is a world-class player who has the respect of everybody. Jamie has done a great job captaining the side for the past 12 months, and with Ellis Genge as well I think that leadership group we’ve got amongst the players, the likes of Ben Earl too, we have a great group of leaders within the squad.”
Itoje has always been touted as a future England captain, even before his Test debut, but this season he has taken another huge step towards with after being given the Saracens captaincy; and his form has taken another big leap forward as a result.
“The feedback received from people at Saracens is how well he leads them and what an excellent captain he has been for them so far this season,” Borthwick said.
“Captaining your club each week, you’ve got to think through all of those situations every week in games, and that’s another asset that makes me think now is the right time for Maro to captain England.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/england-steve-borthwick-reveals-key-factors-behind-surprise-maro-itoje-captaincy-decision
