THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE ROME
The Eternal City holds a special place in Itoje’s heart but since his 2016 England debut there, he’s gone on to rule rugby around the world
MARO ITOJE returns to where it all began for him, warning England’s Six Nations rivals: “There’s still a lot of growth in me.”
Two years have passed since his first cap in Rome, venue for Sunday’s Italy-England opener. Two years in which he has rocketed from potential packed rookie to global star.
Or, as Eddie Jones likes to say, Vauxhall Viva to BMW.
His teams have grown with him. Saracens and England are back-to-back champions of Europe and the Six Nations respectively, the Lions were the equals of New Zealand.
Yet for all the fame and fortune to have come the way of Oghenemaro Miles Itoje, the Londoner’s debut in the Eternal City remains the memory he cherishes.
“I went to boarding school from the age of 11 and due to the timing of the Six Nations I was always at school for it,” he said. “It was not something I could share with my family.
“To have my dad at the game in Rome and see how happy he was – probably even more happy than me – contributed to it being a great day.
“Now my parents are probably bigger rugby fans than me. They absolutely live for both the away days and the Twickenham days.
“Their weekends are built around watching rugby and it doesn’t even matter if I am playing.” Itoje, 23, has missed a few games recently.
A broken jaw sidelined him over Christmas, followed by a severely bruised hip, which restricted his training with England in Portugal last week.
Not only is he confident of making Sunday’s game, he is ready to answer defence coach Paul Gustard’s call to “go after teams, stamp our authority on them and dominate them”.
Itoje said: “If you make the decision to play rugby I don’t think you can worry about injury, that will only increase the likelihood of it happening.
“Whenever I play, I park that to one side. I’m there to do a job for my team, to impose myself. We want to be the aggressors, to take the game by the scruff of the neck. We don’t want to be submissive in anything.”
Given that England have won all 23 encounters with Italy, this will not be music to the ears of Azzurri boss Conor O’Shea. And it does not stop there.
“I’ve still got a lot of growth in me,” Itoje added. “Since I started playing international rugby I feel I’ve done well and that it’s the right environment for me. But I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable.
“That would suggest I’m taking it easy, not working as hard as I should. My attitude is always to push the boundaries.
“It is unlikely that every game you will get better, but as long as there is an upward trend you can live with it.”