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Maro Itoje has a mantra: “Keep the main thing the main thing”. The Saracens and England lock can’t quite recall how he first came across these words of wisdom but in a career now extending into a second decade, they have served him well.
For there would be plenty to distract a true lock polymath, from a love of African art, to his charitable efforts with the Pearl Fund and his passion for politics. But his true obsession, he insists, is rugby – and, more specifically, winning.
“Winning is what matters,” the ever considered and compelling Itoje tells The Independent. “It is a great honour to play for England, but I don’t want to be one of those players who just wins loads of caps. I want to be part of winning teams. That has always been my motivation.”
It is a charming evening at England’s training base in Girona. At Itoje’s request, we have hauled two chairs out into the Catalan sun – a long day is nearly at an end, and with less clement weather waiting to welcome him home, the second row is eager to soak up some restorative rays before the autumn begins.
Leviathan limbs unfurling as he reclines, the lock carries an air of contentment. These have been months of personal and professional fulfilment for a player back at the top of his game. The start of the Premiership season brought news of his elevation to the Saracens captaincy, an honour he accepted with gratitude. Weeks earlier, Itoje had made an offer of his own to fiancée Mimi, their two-part Nigerian wedding set for next summer. In the course of this Autumn Nations Series, he will close in on 90 caps in an England shirt.
After an undisclosed health problem left him feeling as if he was playing with a “handbrake” on, Itoje has returned to full, frightening force in the last 12 months. He has accomplished a lot, I suggest, for someone just celebrating a 30th birthday. “I still feel there is so much more for me to achieve. Realistically speaking, I want to play until I am 35 or 36 – and I hope the next five years are the most fruitful.”
The pride he feels at having been given the Saracens captaincy is clear. Much has been said about Itoje the leader, not least by Eddie Jones, who labelled him “inward-looking” and unable to influence teammates off the field in a book written while still England’s head coach.
They were harsh and unnecessary words then, and harsher still in retrospect. If Jones’s criticisms might have forced others to make a radical shift in their behaviours or beliefs, the second row has always stayed true to himself.
“If you look at the great leaders of the past, the common trait amongst them is authenticity,” he explains. “If you try to be something you are not, or live up to a certain persona, people will see through it. The goal is to be authentic. There are things you improve and work on, as you would do in any other realm of your life.
“I’ve tried to be consistent in my behaviours, regardless of whether I have that title or not. Obviously, I am not captain here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have leadership responsibilities.”
With a degree in politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, Itoje looks at the world with open eyes. He lists six or seven political podcasts to which he is a regular listener – “I should say The Rest is Politics is my favourite because I know Alastair Campbell, but they don’t need any endorsing” – and a recent visit to 10 Downing Street only further roused his interest.
“I will be back, for sure – I don’t know in what role yet, but I’ll be back,” Itoje says with a wry smile. “I’ll find my way through those doors one way or another.
“There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t engage with some sort of politics. I like listening to podcasts, even ones that don’t align with my politics. It is healthy to hear how other people think. It’s helpful to go out to some environments where you might be a bit uncomfortable, because you never know who you might meet or what that is going to lead to. Life is a series of sliding doors, and it’s good to be open to see what might be possible.”
It is a brief digression, for we are soon back to talking rugby. Not only are there club and country honours to chase across this season, but Itoje is already thinking about next summer, and a British and Irish Lions tour he very much hopes to be on. He has already worn the scarlet shirt with such distinction on tours to New Zealand and South Africa; a trip Down Under would complete the set.
“Without losing sight of what is in front of you, I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t an ambition. It’s an ambition of every British and Irish player to wear that red jersey. But the most important thing is performance and I’ve got to make sure I am performing at a level that befits that jersey.
“That 2017 Lions tour, the whole atmosphere and experience was really special. It’s the closest I have ever felt to being a Beatle, it was manic and crazy. It’s something I look back on very fondly.”
Itoje was but a cub then, the youngest member of the touring party. Now, he’s one of a crop of strong contenders to be anointed leader of the pride. The lock is smart enough to play the politician as I enquire as to his captaincy ambitions. “My goal with all these things is just to play good rugby. [Lions head coach] Andy [Farrell] will make decisions that are right for the team. My goal is to play as well as I can to make sure I am in the mix.”
The first step towards that target will come against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday. This is an autumn of opportunity for England, with the three big Southern Hemisphere beasts all visiting before a final tangle with Jones’s Japan. Clear progress has been made by Steve Borthwick’s side this year but this feels like a vital autumn to prove their potential and turn valiant defeats into stirring victories.
“When you play some of these Southern Hemisphere teams, there is a different vibe – these are the ones where you are really excited for. Every game is a big game, the Six Nations is massive, but these ones are special.
“Steve [Borthwick] has high standards. He has those standards because he knows what we are capable of and can achieve. I welcome it. I’m someone who loves feedback and honesty. I really respect coaches who say it how it is. Steve is not going to tell you things just to fluff you up. He’s very intentional, very honest and wants the team to get better. There is a feeling that we can be a proper team and get back to winning tournaments and trophies.”
So, Maro, the best is yet to come? “Amen.”
