Itoje urges team-mates to learn from humbling by Scotland
Maro Itoje will be forever haunted by Saturday's historic defeat to Scotland as England embark on a period of soul-searching in the hope of reigniting their Guinness Six Nations campaign.
The Scots registered their first victory at Twickenham since 1983, as the Calcutta Cup was swept back to Edinburgh.
The 11-6 scoreline flattered England, who produced one of the most alarming performances of the Eddie Jones era as their title defence entered trouble at the first hurdle.
Itoje said: “You never really forget these days, you never really forget these moments, and to be honest I don’t really want to forget them.
“I want to move on from it, but I don’t want to forget it as it keeps you sharp. Losing like this at Twickenham is never what you dream of, so it’s definitely not ideal.”
Jones blamed himself as his team conceded a mass of early penalties and made fewer breaks than Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg alone, but Itoje insists the players must take responsibility.
He said: “We’re the ones on the field, the ones responsible for our own performance. We didn't give the best account of ourselves and as players we have to do better because that wasn't good enough.
“All the players know that it wasn't up to scratch. It's a tough lesson to take but we've got four more games to control our destiny.
“We have to roll up our sleeves and get ready for some hard work and honest selfreflection and move forward.
“The most important thing is what we do next and that's what I'm excited about – how we can galvanise ourselves and move forward."