Rugby gave me another shot at glory
EXCLUSIVE: HOW ATHLETICS HEARTACHE DROVE ITOJE TO BE A RUGBY SUPERSTAR
MARO ITOJE has revealed how having his heart broken in athletics drove him to make it big in rugby.
Itoje is one win away from playing in the final of the World Cup five years on from captaining England to junior World Cup glory.
But before focusing on rugby, the Saracens and Lions forward was ranked No2 in the UK for his age group at shot put.
“I had a few good years – I went to a few English Schools Championships and I had a good time,” said Itoje. “I was ranked second in 2009 in the Under-15 age group.
“I did it because I was pretty good and, to be honest, I think I could have made a career out of it – but rugby is so much more fun than shot put.”
Itoje was Hertfordshire Schools champion three years running, twice finished runner-up at the
English Schools Championships and represented England at Under-17 level.
“I lost three times in athletics in shot put – once to a guy who was older than me when I was competing a year up, so I don’t really count that – though I eventually ended up beating him,” he said.
“I remember the one person who did beat me was Luke Roach-Christie.
“I don’t know where he is now or what he’s doing, but every time he beat me it broke my heart!” Roach-Christie competed for England at the schools home internationals before leaving athletics after university. Itoje, now 24, has not looked back since swapping the shot put circle for the rugby field, winning 35 England caps and playing all three Tests for the 2017 Lions. In the second of those Tests, he was named man of the match as the Lions won in Wellington – a victory savoured by nine of the players in this England squad.
That game remains a crucial reference point for England as they have beaten New Zealand only once – in 2012 – since Itoje was throwing the shot as a youngster. At around that same period he wrote a poem entitled ‘There Was A Time’, the words of which are rather apposite with Saturday’s game in mind.
There comes a time when a boy must become a man, when fear must turn to bravery, when thoughts must turn to belief, when this belief must turn to action.
When one must love and one must hope, when preparation turns to performance, when strangers turn to friends, when friends turn to foes, when joy fulfils your mind.
When anger fills your heart, when one must stand up and lead, when one must sit back and listen.
There comes a time, when the time must be taken.
Asked on the eve of the tournament if England had now arrived at that time themselves, Itoje laughed: “Funny how life works!
“Yes, I think we have a great opportunity ahead of us.
“We have a quality team, we have some very smart coaches who know what to do, we have great support staff. Everything is lined up for us to do well.
“It’s about us seizing the chance – no ifs and no buts.
It’s time to get the business done.”