Natural leader Maro Itoje has what it takes to be the Lions king - but the Saracens lock is taking it one step at a time

EXCLUSIVE
Look who’s back: Maro Itoje made his return for Saracens in the Premiership match against Bath on Saturday after recovering from a hand injury
Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard
David Flatman6 December 2016

Maro Itoje is typically forthright in his assessment when asked whether a trip to New Zealand with the Lions next summer is on the radar.

“The Lions trip is way too far ahead for me to affect here and now,” says the Saracens and England lock. “I’d rather think about the things I can do right now than the things I want to do so far away. Having said that, I’d love to go!”

When interviewing so contemporary an athlete as Itoje, it is all too easy for both parties to slip into autopilot and to unconsciously obey the rules of modern media training. But to trot out the usual questions with him would be to do his character a disservice.

Itoje, despite only having arrived on the rugby scene recently, is already being talked about as an England captain, while some are even mentioning him as a potential Lions skipper next year, though this seems more unlikely. To engage in conversation with him is to see why both goals, in time, are possible.

In a sense, Itoje’s rugby speaks for itself in that his on-field interjections are generally so crushing and so visible that it does not take an expert to identify and celebrate his impact, which still seems so at odds with his age and experience.

But being a handy player has never been enough to qualify someone as a leader of men. What that requires runs far deeper than talent and involves the relentless setting of daily standards as an example to those around you. It needs empathy and requires a figure capable of demanding total respect without ever having to demand it. Itoje’s return from a hand injury was not enough to see off a staunch, combative Bath side at The Rec on Saturday but you can be sure that his re-emergence will lift the country’s top side.

When asked how to best describe the Saracens environment, Itoje’s answer was fascinating in that it was possibly the last thing one might expect a big, hard international lock forward to say.

“I think our biggest strength is the genuine care we give to one another,” said the 22-year-old. “We don’t just talk about treating each other well, we live it. And we live it because we know it works. And this isn’t just players being nice to other players. It’s us taking care of the staff, the families, of everyone.”

This culture stands in stark contrast to many over the years. The Bath side of the Nineties that won everything was stylish, superior, arrogant even. The Leicester legacy is one of uncompromising men crushing those not willing to go toe to toe with them. Wasps were psychological masters of the big day, producing their best performances under the most pressure. This Saracens team, so dominant, project a new outlook entirely.

In Pictures | England vs Australia | 03/12/2016

1/28

Saracens players are encouraged to stay busy away from training and Itoje regarded his period on the sidelines as a blessing of sorts. “It’s really frustrating, of course,” he said. “But I’m really busy with university work, so it does give me chance to get ahead on that front. Also, as well as rehabbing the hell out of my injured hand, I can put lots of time into sorting the niggles that build up over time as a rugby player.”

Another way in which Itoje can stay busy now is through commercial opportunities. Make no mistake, this is England’s most marketable player and he must make hay while the sun shines.

“My management team know, though, that no commercial or press opportunity ever comes before rugby. That’s been of paramount importance from the start and there is no negotiation. If my performance suffers, then it all disappears.”

One does not meet too many young professionals with such maturity but a decent percentage of the ones I have met come from Sarries. This encouragement to broaden their perspective means most will leave the club as better humans and, I think, players. They know what it means to work to exhaustion for one another, to be friends with one another and do what it takes to earn the respect of those whose opinions they value the most.

To achieve such a sustainable culture, you need leaders. Usually, these are gnarled, senior figures. While Itoje is neither of these, he seems born to lead by example. Sarries and England need him to be. His reign will be long and glorious and, take it from me, Lions caps are a certainty.

Ricoh ambassador Maro Itoje was speaking at the launch of the Ricoh Rugby Change Series which looks at the key changes in rugby over the last decade. Ricoh.co.uk/rugbychange

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in