Maro Itoje is demanding that his England team work harder than ever before as they try to arrest the side’s poor run of form, with the new captain vowing to lead from the front.

Itoje insists his own performance will define his captaincy, but has challenged his team-mates to raise their efforts in all aspects of their game in an attempt to win their first Six Nations Championship since 2020. England have won just once in their last six Test matches, and Itoje admitted the side have not delivered in the final quarter when the game was on the line.

“We have fallen short over the last year in the final stages of games,” said Itoje. “While I think we are on a positive trajectory, it requires more to get the outcomes you want and the results you want. I don’t think it is good enough to say: ‘Do what you did yesterday and expect a different result today’.

“We need to work harder in almost all aspects because we are not where we want to be. We need to work harder in the final stages of the game, we need to work harder in the gym, we need to work harder with our capacity, we need to work harder with our knowledge, we need to work harder in our relationships. It encompasses a lot of what we are trying to do because to get to where we want to get to, we need to do more.”

As Itoje laid down a marker to his squad, he is aware of his own responsibility in leading the charge after England won just five of their 12 Tests last year. And he has vowed to lead from the front with his actions rather than words.

‘People listen to your words, but they follow your actions’

“We often speak about great leaders and what they do, or great captains, and first and foremost, the most important thing, without any shadow of a doubt, is that you play well,” he added. “That’s the most important thing. That’s more important than any speech you can make, that’s more important than any interview that I could give, or how I walk, how I talk.

“People listen to your words, but they follow your actions. So first and foremost, that is a big priority for the team. And secondly, I would say, probably from a team point of view, we need to work harder. We need to run harder. We need to be more together and, I guess I’m the captain, but it’s not just me.

“Who is going to be the catalyst of change? It’s all the senior guys. It’s Jamie [George], it’s Ellis [Genge], it’s Ben [Earl], it’s Henry Slade, it’s all the senior guys in our team, Marcus [Smith], Fordy [George Ford], Fin [Smith], we need to, as a collective, work harder for the team and get the right results.

“I don’t think I’ve ever put on an English shirt and not felt both of those two things. There’s always an element of pressure when you play for England, whether you’re on the bench in the squad or the starting 15. But what an opportunity, it’s a tremendous opportunity, and I think the potential from the last year, I’ll be first to admit that it didn’t go all the way we wanted. But I think what is fair to say is that one thing we did show was a lot of potential.

“When we did get it right and when we put patches of our game, we did show a lot of potential. So, there’s a whole load of promise, there’s a whole load of potential for us to realise, I guess, you know, it’s, my role is to help us realise that.”

Moulded by Borthwick and Farrell but determined to be his own man

Maro Itoje is recalling the leaders he has played under, those men who left a lasting impression on him. It is an impressive list of warriors, and one that starts with Steve Borthwick, his England head coach. It is a list that also shines a light on the experiences that have shaped his storied journey to becoming captain of England.

“My first captain was Steve, I was in the Saracens academy, and he was in his last year as a professional at around 35 and I could see how he operated as a captain. While I was very young then it left a mark on me,” says Itoje.

“In a Saracens context I then had Alistair Hargreaves, and Brad Barritt, who was a phenomenal captain. He was a warrior; he led from the front and would literally throw his face into everything and he was very articulate and communicated very well.

“After Brad Barritt, we had Owen [Farrell], a fierce competitor, someone who is fighting for every inch, fighting for every blade of grass, driving the team.

“In England we had Dylan [Hartley], then Owen, Jamie [George] who I have had the pleasure of working with for the entirety of my professional career. He is a top-class human being. He is very articulate, he understands people, he understands the game really well. So, I have learnt a lot from him as well as so many other senior guys who I have had the honour and privilege to have played with. Even in a Lions context, some of the captains there, even some of the leaders who weren’t officially team captain. People like Billy and Mako [Vunipola] and Richard Wigglesworth.”

Yet as he talks, you sense there is a ‘but’ coming. And there is. The image of Itoje as the confrontational forward, whooping and screaming at every breakdown style or penalty won, is at odds with his softly-spoken and considered response. Itoje may have learnt much from these great men, but he is determined to be his own man.

“The key thing with leadership and navigating your own path is learning and acknowledging the good in others but forging a path for yourself,” he adds. “That is definitely what I have got to try and do.

“I guess if I was to summarise my approach is to lead and to serve, I want to serve the squad, serve the country, serve the staff, serve the fans in the role.

“Obviously, it is an incredible honour but with leadership I just want to bring myself into it, bring the best of myself into it, I want to be authentic and be me and build a lot on the great work Jamie has done with the team and hopefully I can help bring the best out of my team-mates. That is what I am going to endeavour to do.

“I think what is required for me is to build on a lot of the things that I am already doing.”

‘When I was younger I would try and do everything myself’

He might have seemed destined for this moment since he burst onto the international stage, first as captain of the England Under-20 side that won the world championship in 2014, and then making his senior debut two years later. Yet there were moments when it looked like it might pass him by, most notably when former England head coach Eddie Jones wrote in his autobiography that he doubted when Itoje was a future England captain, claiming he was “very inward-looking” and didn’t “usually influence people off the field.”

Now, having reached the age of 30, the lock forward says he has matured. He disagrees with Jones’ verdict and insists that his “core essence” has remained unchanged. “I understand environments a bit better and myself a whole lot better and I think that the first step of trying to be a leader in any environment is understanding yourself and what you need to do first and foremost,” he adds.

“Perhaps when I was a little bit younger I would try and do everything myself and take up all the responsibilities myself. Now I have learnt to lean on other people and get the best out of others a lot better, by empowering them, leaning on them and knowing I trust and back them. I know a lot more about the build-up throughout the week and how to get performances on a more consistent level. I definitely think I have matured over the process. I think that has all helped me become the person that I am today.”