ITOJE FORGETS LOCK LOVE-IN TO TAKE DOWN LAUNCHBURY
MARO ITOJE may have forged a strong bond with England team-mate Joe Launchbury but the pair of locks will be best of enemies in their Premiership play-off semi-final today. When Itoje’s Saracens face Launchbury’s Wasps at Allianz Park in the early kick-off this afternoon, there will be no love lost between the second rows. And Itoje (below) cannot wait for the battle. ‘Over the last three years I have had the pleasure of getting to know Joe relatively well,’ he said. ‘First and foremost, he’s a lovely human being but he’s also a tremendous player. He’s their captain and he leads from the front. ‘Whenever you play against him, you know you’re going to have to be ready. ‘I like playing against the best locks in the country, so I look forward to playing against him and the rest of their pack. ‘In camp you end up spending a lot time with a lot of the squad, so you do grow a friendship but it does not change the fact that there’s a job to do and I’m going to do my best.’ Both men will tour with their country to South Africa after the club season has finished. Itoje was one player who many thought needed a rest after last summer’s tour to New Zealand with the Lions but he was picked by Eddie Jones and is adamant he is fighting fit for the trip. ‘There was no conversation about that,’ he said when asked if he felt he needed a rest. ‘I feel good, so I would have been very upset if that decision to miss the tour had been made for me. ‘Talk of tiredness does not bother me. I know how I was feeling. I know my body. ‘Since then until now, we’ve had some good weeks at work and some down weeks, and I’m feeling good, I’m feeling fresh. I haven’t played against South Africa before but I’m fully aware of what the challenge is. ‘It’s going to be a tough tour. They have a good team and it’s important I try to help the team. Whatever role I play for England, I hope I can contribute to the team’s success.’ One man Itoje is confident can contribute to England and Saracens’ success is Nick Isiekwe. The 20-year-old plays flanker for Sarries today and is tipped as the next Itoje — and the original is impressed. ‘Nick’s always had tremendous athletic ability,’ said Itoje. ‘But what’s impressed me most about him this last year has been his change in attitude to his work, to his craft. He’s now more diligent with his conditioning and how he prepares himself for games, which he didn’t have maybe at the beginning. Now he’s becoming a proper
professional.’