Maro Itoje reacts to Ireland loss in 2025 Guinness Six Nations
England captain Maro Itoje spoke to the media moments after England's loss to Ireland in the first round of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.
Down 27-10 with five minutes remaining in the Test, England scored two quick-fire tries to earn a losing bonus-point against the reigning Guinness Six Nations champions.
First, Ollie Lawrence combined with debutant Cadan Murley on the touchline, as the Harlequin sped past Mack Hansen before firing the ball back inside to the onrushing Tom Curry to dive over.
It looked to be a consolation score until Tommy Freeman ghosted through a gap in the final play of the match to make it 27-22, meaning England left Dublin with a point.
A tremendous honour
"In that first half we did pretty much everything we wanted to do, but then second half we lost the territory a little bit and struggled to exit," explained Itoje.
"We need to control the territory more consistently throughout the game. It is hard to dissect the reasons for the loss so soon after the game, but it was a territory thing - we were not able to exit as efficiently as we would like."
The Saracens second row was named full-time captain of his country for the first time ahead of the tournament, and in earning his 89th cap, continues to prove his Test level toughness.
"It’s a tremendous honour; I grew up watching England and wanting to play for England," he added. "But it’s not about me, it is about the team, and there is stuff for us to build on so that next week we can be better."
England head coach Steve Borthwick added: "Immense credit to Ireland they are such an experienced team. It was a tough Test match in that third quarter and I thought they did really well.
"That was the critical period and that allowed them to get scoreboard pressure. I am very proud of how our players attacked the game in the first half and came back at the end to score a few tries to get the bonus point.
"The team, against one of the best attacking sides in the world, have improved defensively."
