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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Steve Borthwick has backed Maro Itoje to lead England into the 2027 Rugby World Cup and said it is his capability to be calm in the face of pressure which has seen him elevated to captain of the team.
Borthwick offered Itoje, 30, the England captaincy on Monday. Borthwick only considered changing the captaincy after the autumn internationals, switching the honour from Jamie George to Itoje.
George, 34, had captained England since the start of last year’s Six Nations, but Borthwick said there were several factors behind the decision to transfer the captaincy over to his Saracens teammate.
One factor was Itoje’s ability to play 80 minutes, while the competition at hooker meant George’s place in the team was no longer guaranteed. Another consideration was Borthwick’s belief that Itoje could carry the captaincy through to the next World Cup.
Borthwick said when he told Itoje he was going to captain England, “the smile that spread across his face could have lit up the whole of England.”
Borthwick believes Itoje is a “truly world-class player.”
“When I came back into the England squad as head coach two years ago it struck me with Maro that he thinks really well under pressure,” Borthwick said. “He stays calm under pressure. He’s a guy who’s diligent and the way he goes about his work every single day is first class.
“Everybody will captain in their own unique way. That’s an important element. When I chatted to Maro, I said I wanted him to captain his way. Every England supporter sees the commitment with which he plays. When you have somebody that fights that hard for the shirt and for his team, it’s somebody everyone can relate to. It’s ‘I’d want to be led by that man.’ That’s the nature with which he plays the game.
“He also has this balance, where he thinks the game through really well. He’s an excellent leader of the lineout, and in the forward pack.”
Itoje’s promotion meant Borthwick needed to have a tough chat with George. George was Borthwick’s second England captain, following on from Owen Farrell who led England into the 2023 World Cup. George skippered England through last year’s Six Nations, the tour of Japan and New Zealand, and then the autumn nations series. But George’s position is in question amid impressive form from both Luke Cowan-Dickie and Theo Dan.
“Jamie is somebody I’ve known for a very long time, and he’s a wonderful rugby player and I think for such a long time now, he’s been central in this England team and such an incredible influence in English rugby,” Borthwick said.
“It was a challenging conversation. He was clearly disappointed but at the same point in time, he’s also always putting the team first. So we spoke a number of times, and yeah, I’d say he’s disappointed because he’s a proud Englishman who was very proud to be captain of this team.”
One other tough decision will be who England pick at fly-half, with Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and George Ford all in the mix. Marcus Smith has been used as both at fly-half and fullback by Borthwick, but the England coach sees the Quins playmaker as a No. 10 first and foremost.
“I think Marcus is a 10 who can play 15. And I think that that’s a conversation I had with Marcus,” Borthwick said. “I think he sees that the same way. I know his preferred position is 10. I also see, we discussed this at length, is a player who in space is incredibly dangerous. Having that versatility is really important.”
Elsewhere in the squad, there’s no place for Dan Cole, but Borthwick insisted the door is not shut on the 37-year-old veteran tight-head.
“I’ve had a number of conversations with Dan and when I spoke to him yesterday and had the conversation with him, it was ‘make sure your phone is on and you are in good condition, because I need you to be ready,'” Borthwick said. “He has absolutely assured me that he will be ready to go.”
At the other end of Test experience, Harlequins duo Cadan Murley, 25, and Oscar Beard, 23, are included in the squad and could win their debuts in the Six Nations. “Cadan’s a young man who had a tough period of multiple knocks, back to back, and now being fit and healthy, you see the way he’s playing… you see that pace and evasiveness he has coming to the fore again,” Borthwick said.
“Oscar Beard is a strong, powerful ball carrier, he’s got a good kicking game as well.”
And then there’s Tom Willis. He has been one of the standout back-rowers in the Gallagher Premiership this season and while there’s no Sam Underhill — who will miss the Six Nations through injury — Willis is likely to be given his chance to impress.
“Tom is a player I’ve respected for a long time,” Borthwick said. “I think he’s come back to England and I talked to him about the speed of Test rugby and the movement required of Test rugby and he’s gone away and every report I get from him at Saracens is how much work he has put in to developing that speed, developing that movement, developing that agility.
“He’s always been a formidable ball carrier and, and a tough tackling player. Players with that level of hunger, that level of desire is exactly the type player I want in this, in this England squad.”
It will be evolution rather than revolution for England in this Six Nations. Expect to see some tweaks to their defensive system, but there’ll still be some elements of the blitz tactic they used last year. “If we were characterised in 2024 as a team with line speed, I want us to be a team with line speed as we continue,” Borthwick said. “Clearly, there are bits in every area of the game that you amend and evolve to improve and I expect that to be the case as soon as we get the players into camp next week.”
And he wants England to continue attacking with intent, saying he feels the backline is “coming together” and one that has “got pace.”
“I’ve talked about the nature of the team changing, and England historically are a team with a big forward pack,” Borthwick said. “I think that has changed a little bit. We’ve got a fast, athletic backrow, fast, athletic backs and we’ll play accordingly.”