Itoje vows not to follow Farrell to France – committing future to England

The forward expressed his passion for playing for England and said a part of him would be ‘eaten up inside’ were he to stop

Maro Itoje has handed a major boost to Steve Borthwick by committing to play for his country until the World Cup in Australia in 2027 “at the bare minimum”.
The 29-year-old attracted a number of lucrative offers from Top 14 clubs, including Toulouse and Racing 92, but does not intend to follow Owen Farrell to France, declaring that if he was to step away from playing for England now “a part of me would be eaten up inside.”
‌Itoje, like Saracens team-mate Jamie George, has been offered one of the new England central contracts and has recommitted to a new deal at Saracens. And revealed for the first time why he remains committed to representing his country at a time when former team-mates are opting to pursue their careers overseas.
“I think playing for England is the absolute dream,” said Itoje. “I didn’t come from a traditional rugby playing background. I started playing rugby at 11 at St George’s School in Harpenden. The first Six Nations I watched was probably 2007, when I had an idea of what was going on. And watching the players sing the national anthem beforehand, that was the hook, that was the dream, the ambition.
‌“Playing at the highest level, playing for England as a competitor, it’s the greatest opportunity for me to shine. It’s the greatest opportunity for me to fully express myself and express my competitive juices. It’s well and truly an honour. You can get used to how things can go, particularly after Covid when we were playing behind closed doors.
‌“Then when all the fans came back and every Test match since, as I sing the national anthem, I look around and I think to myself wow, this is special, not many people get to experience this in the way that I’m experiencing this. This is well and truly a blessing. So if I was to step away from playing English rugby, playing for England now, I know a part of me would be eaten up inside.
“I want to – bare minimum – be at the next World Cup,” he added. “I obviously want to play for the Lions, to put myself in position to be selected. Lord, you know those opportunities you really can’t take for granted. Being at this last World Cup was an amazing experience. The passion of the fans, the atmosphere, buzz, excitement. It’s a drug that it’s hard to stay away from so I would love the opportunity to do that again.”
Itoje’s passionate declaration came on the first day of England’s Six Nations training camp in Girona on the Costa Brava in Spain. They were assembling for the first time since their World Cup campaign in France, which ended with victory in the bronze medal match against Argentina. 
And there was an overriding sense of a fresh start. The appointment of Jamie George as Farrell’s successor as England captain and an influx of new faces underscored the perception of a reset. It was the first time the squad had a chance to meet their new defence coach, Felix Jones, the former Ireland wing who was a central figure in South Africa’s coaching team in their World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023.
“We want to move forward,” added Itoje. “We want to improve our ‘D’ [defence]. The hope is that we become a more aggressive defence. The hope is that our defence becomes more imposing and more dominant. That is the aim.”
Itoje too has been reflecting on his own position within the squad. With 76 caps to his name, he appreciates the responsibility of being a senior pro now within Borthwick’s squad. He is likely to be considered as George’s vice-captain for the championship, having been name-checked by Borthwick as one of the players that team-mates turned to the most for leadership.
“I definitely have a role to play,” added Itoje. “I want to do that through my performance first and foremost. I want to be the best player I can be. I know if I am that then I will set a good example for the rest of the team, and some of the younger and older guys in our team.
“Secondly, through how I am around the place, the way I speak to people. Given my ripe age of 29, I have a bit of experience now. I want to help Jamie and Steve create an environment where people love being and everyone enjoys being here, but we also get stuck into the rugby. We want to progress the team and move forward as a team.
“We know the last couple of Six Nations have not really been what we wanted them to be. The whole thing is to push the team forward and I definitely want to play a role in that.”