Inside Maro Itoje's first speech as England captain
As England prepare to face Ireland in their opening game of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Maro Itoje prepares for his first game as captain.
“For us to be successful and be the team we want to be, I know we have to do more,” he said.
“We have to invest more into each other, invest more in our relationships with one another, invest more in our rugby because we can't do what we've done in previous campaigns; we can't do what we did in autumn and summer and expect different results."
Itoje is no stranger to leadership. In 2014, he led England U20 to glory in the World Rugby U20 Championship, and one year later he captained Saracens to a LV= Cup title.
Five Premiership championships and three European crowns followed for the now 30-year-old, whose 88 England caps demonstrate his Test level toughness.
Maro was appointed Saracens captain for the 24/25 season, and in recently earning the international armband he promises to do everything in his power to help England be successful.
“We've all invested to be here, we've all sacrificed a whole load of our lives, we've spent the majority of our rugby careers wanting to be in this room, wear the red rose and wear the white shirt. This is a finite time in our lives – to make the most of it we have to do more.”
