Maro Itoje has replaced Jamie George as England captain ahead of their upcoming Six Nations campaign.
When Steve Borthwick revealed the 36-man squad for his side’s tournament opener in Ireland on February 1 on Tuesday, the boss dropped the bombshell that Itoye would replace Saracens colleague George as captain.
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 retaining the leadership role as one of two vice-captains alongside Ellis Genge.
“With 88 England caps, Maro has been a central figure in this team for many years, bringing a wealth of experience both on and off the pitch,” Borthwick said.
“He is a calm, influential leader known for his commitment to high standards and his ability to motivate those around him.
“His strong relationship with the team and coaches, combined with his leadership experience at Saracens, makes him ideally placed to take on this responsibility.
“I would like to recognize the outstanding leadership of Jamie George, whose contribution as captain has been significant and will continue to play an important role as vice-captain.”
Jamie George remains in charge as vice-captain
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to have been asked by Steve to captain England. It is a truly incredible privilege for both myself and my family and I am grateful to have been given this opportunity.
“There is a lot of responsibility that comes with the role, but I’m at a point in my career where I’m ready to give everything to serve the team and the fans as captain, as well as give my best on the pitch.
“It is reassuring to know there is a group of senior players supporting me and helping to 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’m excited about the squad of players we have, who are all hungry for success, and I’m looking forward to leading them for the next Six Nations.”
Borthwick calls on the Harlequins duo without a cap
Borthwick has named Harlequins’ uncapped duo Oscar Baird and Caidan Murley in the group he will work with ahead of his side’s campaign at Pennyhill Park and also in Girona, Spain.
England are without the likes of Emmanuel Fay-Waboso and George Furbank as they continue to recover from injury in the national team’s medical team.
Alex Mitchell makes an expected return from injury, with Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet selected as scrum-half options.
England have 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 bouncing back to wins in their most recent contest against Japan.
More to follow…
England coaching staff
Attackers
Finn Baxter (Harlequins, 6 caps)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 23 games)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 7 matches)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 44 caps)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 11 games)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 6 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 56 caps)
Theo Dunn (Saracens, 16 games)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 20 games)
Ben Earl (Saracens, 37 games)
Alice Genge (Bristol Bears, 66 games) – vice-captain
Jamie George (Saracens, 97 games) – vice-captain
Joe Hayes (Leicester Tigers, 7 games)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby, 2 games)
Maro Itoye (Saracens, 88 games) – captain
George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 19 games)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sharks For Sale, 1 Hat)
Bevan Rod (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)
Will Stewart (Bath Rugby, 45 games)
Tom Willis (Saracens, 1 cap)
Backs
Oscar Beard (Harlequins, no hat)
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 69 games)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 2 games)
George Ford (Sale Sharks, 98 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 15 games)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 31 games)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 18 matches)
Kadan Murley (Harlequins, Hatless)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 11 games)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 3 caps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 69 games)
Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, 5 games)
Finn Smith (Northampton Saints, 6 games)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 39 games)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 35 games)
Jack van Portvliet (Leicester Tigers, 16 games)
Six Nations 2025 matches – 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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