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The England training ground attitude that makes Maro Itoje stand out from the crowd

Ex-England skipper Dylan Hartley has given his insight on what makes Maro Itoje so competitive, adding that he wishes he didn’t neglect ten years of his own career not training to learn instead of simply just training to train. 

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Itoje was at the heart last Saturday in driving England to Six Nations glory for the first time since Hartley collected the trophy in 2017 and the now-retired hooker has explained why he has the utmost admiration for how the second row goes about his business of trying to get better as a player. 

Appearing as co-host on the latest episode of RugbyPass Offload with ex-Wales midfielder Jamie Roberts, Hartley gave a glimpse as to what life is like inside England training with the likes of Itoje, suggesting he wished it had been like that way back when he was initially capped at Test level.

“That is why Eddie (Jones) was really good for me – he probed, pushed, said you needed to do this, do that. He actually gave me feedback instead of at 21 I got capped and then it felt like I played rugby for ten years without being coached on specific things,” outlined Hartley, reflecting on his 97-cap career with England which ended with a final appearance in November 2018.  

“I used to just train for the sake of training and then one guy, almost like a mentor of mine, said why do you train? Are you training to get better or are you training just to train? I was, I suppose I am just training.

“But as soon as he asked me that I started approaching training, how can I train better today, how can I push myself in certain areas, how can I challenge and test myself, make myself feel uncomfortable, put myself in positions where I might have to catch the ball as a front row player? 

“Just little things like that. It just changed my mindset to training but that happened at 30 years old. I was late for the party,” he said, stating that the same unnamed mentor gave Itoje the same sage advice about training. 

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“It’s basically the same guy that told me about training to get better, he actually went on then to communicate that to the whole team… you’re never just waiting for the weekend. Every minute of every session is preparing for that so just deal with that next moment in front of your face. Train to get better and Maro epitomises that because he is such a competitor. 

“Eddie wants an environment where everyone is striving to win. They talked about winning that (2019) World Cup for four years in my time there and when I left they were still talking about that. They didn’t quite do it but it was there for them, they could have reached out and got it with two hands if they made that final push. 

“But that England environment is basically built for everyone to compete and to push and to win. You talk about winning the weights session, winning everything, just try and be as competitive as possible and maybe that is the Australian side of Eddie coming out because every Aussie I know is a competitive sod.

“So Maro, if you look at him, he is physical, he is athletic, but if I look at his game, I’d say it is built on his competitive nature, his competitive confrontation, his competitive physicality, everything you want in a big modern lock. 

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“He is quite unassuming off the field but as soon as he comes into this leadership role, whether it is talking about lineout defence or leading the team on the field, he’s just a whole different personality and it’s all built on being a competitor.”

    

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Soliloquin 58 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

For Fischer, many people in France are still doubting him - it’s the first time he has a full season (31 games). Before, he was always injured at some point. He’s 27, so not the youngest, and you have a younger Boudehent or Jégou behind.

His physicality is incredible, but he didn’t prove he’s got hands. He just proved he was able to defend like a beast.

But you know, even Cros has improved his handling skills lately, so it’s never too late!

And he will play the Champions Cup with a solid Bayonne side, so let’s see!


I don’t agree with ‘only Fischer’: Brennan proved he’s a great 4/7 utility player, and Galthié likes those very much (Woki or Flament). He’s 23, playing for Toulouse with high concurrence, so the prospect is good. I rate him higher than Auradou, who had a few games in the 6 Nations.

For Depoortère, he had a more silent season than the previous one - injured at the worst moment during the Autumn Tests series - but came back strong with a Champions Cup and a solid partnership with Moefana. What could save him would be to start playing as a 12 when Moefana isn’t there, bulking up and become the new Jauzion.

But he’s 22 and an incredible talent at 13. His height makes me think he had more potential than your fan favorite Costes or the utility player that is Gailleton.


As for Montagne or Mallez, with the lack of quality in props, they could find a spot!

Especially Mallez who’s got a good spot to get behind Baille at Toulouse. Neti isn’t the youngest and hasn’t an international level.


And again, as Ugo Mola said, you never play with your best team.

So 30-32 player is more of a 38-40, so you need back-ups.

France knows very well how useful they can be during RWCs.

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S
Soliloquin 1 hour ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Hastoy was a good prospect before the 2023 RWC, he was the fly-half who led La Rochelle to the victory in the Champions Cup final in Dublin against Leinster.

But he made it to the squad only because Ntamack got his ACL.

He played against Uruguay, which a terribly poor game by the French side, and since then he declined a bit, alongside his club.

Under the pressure of Reus and West at 10, he regained some credit at the end of the season (among all a drop at the 81st minute of a game).

He’s quite good everywhere, but not outstanding.

He doesn’t have the nerves, the defense and the tactical brain of Ntamack, the leadership and the creativity of Ramos or the exceptional attacking skills of Jalibert.


I really hope that:

-Ntamack will get his knee back. The surgery went well. He wasn’t the most elusive player in the world, but he was capable of amazing rushes like the one against NZ in 2021 or the Brennus-winning try in 2023.

-Jalibert will continue to improve his defense. He started working hard since March (after his defensive disaster against England) with a XIII specialist, and I’ve seen great moments, especially against Ntamack in the SF of the Champions Cup. It’s never too late. And it would be a great signal for Galthié.

-Hastoy will build up his partnership with Le Garrec, that La Rochelle will start a new phase with them and Niniashvili, Alldritt, Atonio, Boudehent, Jegou, Bosmorin, Bourgarit, Nowell, Wardi, Daunivucu, Kaddouri, Pacôme…

235 Go to comments
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