Thanks to Itoje’s success at the national level, Itoje made his England debut against Italy in the 2016 Six Nations Championship. He represented England in the shot put at the U17 level and played basketball at a high level before eventually opting for rugby. As a primary school student, Itoje took part in many sports, including basketball, football, rugby, and track and field.
Itoje was again instrumental in England’s 2017 Six Nations title defence, starting all five games from the flank rather than from his more usual second row. Itoje was selected for the England training team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup [21] and received his first call up to the senior England squad by new manager Eddie Jones on 13 January 2016 for the 2016 Six Nations Championship. On reaching the summit of Itoje’s career, how England performs at the 2023 and 2027 Rugby World Cups will largely depend on Itojes’ performance, provided he stays in shape.
It looks like he’s back at his peak, confirming his status as one of the best players in the game. While some players’ confidence and motivation suffered after the World Cup, Itojes’ stellar form continued in the Six Nations. After victories over Scotland and Ireland, it was named man of the match. During those Six Nations years, Itoje seemed to carry the rest of the team and hopefully England on his shoulders. Although he only scored one try for the England rugby team, the boy scored a try in every match played against the England under-20s during the Six Nations 2014.
Another Saracens player has eight attempts, 102 conversions, 157 penalties and three conceded goals while playing for England rugby. Maro Itoje only started playing rugby at the age of 11, when he was introduced to the sport at St George’s High School in Harpenden, where British teammates Owen Farrell and George Ford also played.
Maro Itoje made one last attempt to secure a hard-fought 23-20 victory for England in a thrilling clash with Anthony Watson. He earned his 50th international cap before responding to Antoine Dupont’s initial score. Itoje will turn 28 in October, giving him plenty of time to continue to be a key cog in England’s wheel.
Even the British and Irish Lions’ less-than-stellar Six Nations performance was not enough to disguise Itoje’s outstanding individual performance as Itoje played every minute of his campaign. Meanwhile, England secured a second victory in the English campaign. It moved temporarily up to second place in the standings, finishing in the third position at the end of the tournament. Maro Itoje is a player who is not used to losing – take, for example, his streak of 31 consecutive victories for England and the Saracens in 2015 and 2016 to send the ball down while several blue hands tried to hold it.
