New England captain Maro Itoje has been hailed as 'world class' by head coach Steve Borthwick, who believes the 30-year-old Saracens lock can reach even greater heights. Itoje takes over the captaincy from Jamie George, who is ruled out of the Six Nations opener against Ireland due to a hamstring injury. Borthwick expressed confidence in Itoje's leadership and the team's ability to win the tournament.
New England captain Maro Itoje is considered 'world class' but possesses the potential to become even better, according to head coach Steve Borthwick, as the 2025 Six Nations tournament approaches. The 30-year-old Saracens lock was announced as the successor to club teammate Jamie George as captain earlier this month, and will lead England in their opening championship fixture against defending champions Ireland on Saturday, February 1.
Speaking at the Six Nations launch on Tuesday, Borthwick stated: 'Maro is a world-class player, but he can get even better and add other elements to his game. He's a player who thinks deeply about the game, but also plays in a fiercely competitive way. And that balance is a great example for all our players. 'In every great team I've been involved in, there's always a great group of leaders. Having Maro step up, Ellis Genge as vice-captain, we are developing great leaders. 'My expectations, the players' expectations and the supporters' expectations are that we go into each game with a plan to win the game and belief to win the game. We've got a really good group of players that I have trust, faith and confidence in.' Itoje, who was previously deemed too 'inward-looking' by former England coach Eddie Jones to be captain, admitted that Borthwick's appointment came as a surprise. He also acknowledged the absence of George, who has sustained a hamstring injury and will miss England's opener against Ireland, will be felt by the squad. 'I definitely was surprised,' Itoje said. 'Jamie is a brilliant person, so I didn't really expect it. 'I'm incredibly honoured, grateful and humbled to be asked to do the role. 'Jamie is a quality player and person, so whenever you don't have someone like that in and around the group, we're definitely going to miss him and we wish him a speedy recovery.'
MARO ITOJE STEVE BORTHWICK ENGLAND RUGBY SIX NATIONS CAPTAIN JAMIE GEORGE IRELAND
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