Itoje sings Jones’s praises
This weekend Twickenham will undergo something of a transformation as the NFL rolls into English rugby union’s headquarters. The razzmatazz will be off the scale. What the red trouser, Barbour jacket wearing West London brigade will make of that remains to be seen but one man is excited.
“The thing I like about American sports is that they put on such a show,” says Maro Itoje, the 21-year-old Sarries and England forward. “I went to an NBA match last season and I didn’t know if I was watching a basketball match or a concert! I won't be changing sports though! Rugby is the one for me."
But Itoje is not scared of putting on his own show. The 6ft 5in bruiser with huge power and pace has ripped up trees to such an extent in his short international career that he is a guaranteed starter for England just a year after making his debut when South Africa roll into town for the first of the autumn internationals next month.
And he could be set for a change of position with coach Eddie Jones considering moving him to No 7. Not that Itoje seems overly fussed. He could probably do a job on the wing. “Unfortunately I can’t read the mind of the coaches,” he says. “If I could get some Marvel-style talents then I would but I’m not concerned about the speculation. I’ve played a number of positions for Sarries. I will play wherever they pick me.”
Jones is clearly a huge fan of Itoje and it is clearly a two-way street. “For me he’s been great – he’s given me what I needed,” Itoje says. “He’s provided an environment where I can learn and test myself and grow. I don’t want to get into the specifics, that’s internal stuff but he’s intelligent, very good at man management and knowing what makes players tick. He seems to know very quickly. But then he’s been around the game for a while and with that level of experience I suppose you pick up things that others haven’t mastered yet.”
Itoje, on the back of a marvellous victory in Toulon with Saracens last weekend, must be licking his lips at the thought of taking on South Africa who are on a shocking run of form. But this softly spoken University student – he’s doing a degree in Politics at London’s School of Oriental And African Studies which helps him turn off from the hectic rugby life - is not about to dismiss the nation of many of his team-mates who he sees the powers of at close quarters every weekend.
“South Africa are a very proud rugby nation and you notice that when you spend time with the South Africans in our squad,“he says. “They're very passionate about their rugby and they care a lot. They're very physical too.”
Itoje is pretty physical himself and he puts his all-round rugby skills down to the fact he played lots of different sports as a kid: basketball which improved his eye-hand co-ordination, football, which was good for his movement and shot putt which built his strength. It was only at 11 that he decided rugby was the one for him. Ten years later it seems a good decision.
Eleven years on and there will be a Lions tour but Itoje is not – cannot – look that far ahead. “That is so far away,” he says. “A week is a long time in sport. A season is a very, very long time. My focus here and now is that my form improves for Sarries and I keep getting better. With God’s grace I’ll be in the autumn squad for England. They are my goals. I feel we are very good at focusing on our next task. For England that’s South Africa.” The high-jumping, lineout master is trying to keep his feet on the ground.
Maro Itoje was speaking as an ambassador of Vitality. For more information visit www.vitality.co.uk