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Itoje issues veiled warning to Exeter Chiefs

Maro Itoje

Maro Itoje has warned Exeter he is accelerating into the season’s climax at Twickenham where Saracens will attempt to complete the second double in their history.

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Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final sees the two outstanding teams in English club rugby meet in the showpiece for the third time in four years.

At the spearhead of Saracens’ bid to retain their title is Itoje, the England lock who has been in magnificent form since recovering from the second of two different knee injuries to have interrupted his season.

And it is the spells in the treatment room that mean he is unaffected by the fatigue that can set in at the end of a campaign.

“I don’t really feel like it’s once more unto the breach,” said the Lions forward, who was part of the side that defeated Leinster in the recent European final.

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“I think my season has been a little bit different to a lot of the other guys, especially a lot of the starters in the team.

“I have had probably the most time out injured this year in comparison to the rest of the team.

“I feel good and ready to go, especially because we have done relatively well throughout the season so we have been able to take rests. And winning is also a big help.

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“We have got a lot of confidence in what we are about and what we can do. We have a lot of players who have played in a lot of big games.

“This is not going to be a new experience for us and we are extremely confident of what we can put out there on Saturday.”

PA

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GrahamVF 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.


"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"


After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

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