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England captaincy debate reopens after latest display

England/ PA

England lock Maro Itoje is “back to his best” according to the members of The Rugby Pod, with Jim Hamilton wondering whether handing him the captaincy would raise his game to “another level”.

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Despite being on the losing side, the 85-cap lock put in a monumental effort against the All Blacks at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, wreaking havoc on the visitors’ lineout and popping up in some crucial positions with ball in hand, particularly in the first half.

While the 30-year-old has put in his share of standout performances for Saracens, England, and the British and Irish Lions across his career, the frequency of those performances has perhaps reduced in recent years, with Itoje admitting to battling an underlying health issue.

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    But The Rugby Pod host Hamilton believes his former Saracens team-mate is back to the level he was earlier in his career, stating England have lacked players on that level in recent years.

    Itoje was one of the candidates to take over as England captain earlier this year after Owen Farrell stepped away, and while Jamie George got the nod from Steve Borthwick, Hamilton believes the lock is playing like a captain currently, and has questioned whether handing him the extra responsibility will only improve his game.

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    That is exactly what Saracens have done this season, making six-cap Lion club captain ahead of the new season, where he will lead his England skipper George. With the Lions tour at the England of the season, Itoje is also one of the front runners to lead Andy Farrell’s side in Australia.

    George has led England well this year, but he is four years Itoje’s senior, which means this discussion will only surface again.

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    “I think it shows the importance of Maro Itoje,” Hamilton said when reflecting on England’s performance against the All Blacks.

    “I think England have lacked him not being at his best, giving away a lot of penalties, but I think he’s now back to his best. It’s not just the lineout — England’s lineout was brilliant — but almost like the DNA of the team.

    “You go through the ‘Old Guard’ of England. I know the 2003 lads were walking around the pitch, and I hate to reference that because it almost feels like a lifetime ago, but the likes of a Johnno, and these iconic figures that England had. England have lacked that over recent years. They’ve been so reliant on big personalities like Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers, and those players, as opposed to having one guy where you’re s***ting yourself coming out the tunnel.

    “I think Maro, at that level, is a player who, at any moment in time, whether or not it’s in a lineout, he’s going to steal the lineout, not just in the air, but on the floor. He’s going to disrupt the maul, get a turnover in the breakdown as well. But he’s going to be that niggle around the kick chase, tapping balls back, not necessarily on his carry, but in every instance you’re actually worried about a player, and Maro’s now back at that level. I thought he was absolutely world-class.

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    “And then the question could be, because we’ve asked this question about Maro — I’m not saying Jamie isn’t good enough to be captain – but does someone like Maro? I know he’s vice-captain, a leader, he’s playing like a captain when you watch him play. Maybe that captaincy at some point takes him on to another level.”

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    Comments

    1 Comment
    L
    Lulu 107 days ago

    Enjoy the way he plays. The over the top celebrating is annoying. I think that's definitely a mark against him for captaincy .

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    J
    JW 2 hours ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

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