Maro Itoje has replaced Jamie George as England captain ahead of their upcoming Six Nations campaign.
As Steve Borthwick revealed on Tuesday a 36-man training squad for his side’s tournament opener away to Ireland on February 1, the head coach dropped the bombshell that Itoje will replace fellow Saracens forward George as skipper.
The 30-year-old, who was also named Saracens captain in August last year, becomes the 136th player to hold the permanent position, with George maintaining a leadership role as one of two vice-captains alongside Ellis Genge.
“With 88 England caps, Maro has been a central figure in this squad for many years, bringing a vast amount of experience both on and off the field,” Borthwick said.
“He’s a calm, influential leader, renowned for his commitment to upholding high standards and his ability to motivate those around him.
“His strong rapport with the squad and coaches, combined with his leadership experience at Saracens, makes him ideally placed to take on this responsibility.
“I’d like to recognise the outstanding leadership of Jamie George, whose contributions as captain have been significant and will continue to play an important role as a vice-captain.”
Jamie George remains in a leadership role as vice-captain
Itoje added: “I am incredibly humbled and honoured to have been asked by Steve to be England captain. It’s a truly incredible privilege for both me and my family, and I feel grateful to have been given this opportunity.
“With the role comes a great deal of responsibility, but I’m at a point in my career where I feel ready to give my all to serve the team and the fans with the captaincy, and also produce my best on the field.
“It’s reassuring to know there is a group of senior players to support me and help build on the achievements of Jamie, who has led the team brilliantly and who has been a great friend and leader for so many years.
“I am excited by the squad of players we have, who are all hungry for success, and I look forward to leading them out for the forthcoming Six Nations.”
Borthwick calls up uncapped Harlequins duo
Borthwick has named uncapped Harlequins duo Oscar Beard and Cadan Murley in the group he will work with at Pennyhill Park and also in Girona, Spain ahead of his side’s campaign.
England are without the likes of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank, who are continuing the rehabilitation from injury with the national side’s medical team.
Alex Mitchell makes an expected return after injury, with Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet selected as the other scrum-half options.
England lost five Tests in a row – spanning a two-Test tour of New Zealand last summer and Autumn internationals against the All Blacks, as well as Australia and South Africa – before getting back to winning ways in their last run-out against Japan.
More to follow…
England training squad
Forwards
Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 6 caps)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 44 caps)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 11 caps)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 6 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 56 caps)
Theo Dan (Saracens, 16 caps)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 20 caps)
Ben Earl (Saracens, 37 caps)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 66 caps) – vice-captain
Jamie George (Saracens, 97 caps) – vice-captain
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby, 2 caps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens, 88 caps) – captain
George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, 1 cap)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)
Tom Willis (Saracens, 1 cap)
Backs
Oscar Beard (Harlequins, uncapped)
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 69 caps)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
George Ford (Sale Sharks, 98 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 31 caps)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 18 caps)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins, uncapped)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 11 caps)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 3 caps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 69 caps)
Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 39 caps)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)
Six Nations 2025 fixtures: England
- February 1: Ireland (a)
- February 8: France (h)
- February 22: Scotland (h)
- March 9: Italy (h)
- March 15: Wales (a)
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