Maro Itoje

Maro Itoje
Itoje in 2015
Birth name Oghenemaro Miles Itoje
Date of birth (1994-10-28) 28 October 1994
Place of birth Camden, London
Height 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 124 kg (273 lb; 19 st 7 lb)[1]
School Salcombe Preparatory School
St George's School, Harpenden
Harrow School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock, Blindside Flanker
Current team Saracens
Youth Career
2005–2011 Harpenden RFC
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012– Saracens 100 (65)
Correct as of 2 April 2018
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)

2014
2015
2016–
2017		 England U18s
England U20s
England Saxons
England
British and Irish Lions
5
10
28
3
(25)
(25)
(5)
(5)
Correct as of 23 June 2018

Oghenemaro Miles Itoje (born 28 October 1994), known professionally as Maro Itoje, is an English rugby union player, who plays as a lock or as a blindside flanker for English Premiership club Saracens and the England national team. He signed his first professional contract with Saracens in 2012, and made his first appearance the following year. He received his first-call up to the England team in 2016 ahead of the annual Six Nations Championship, and became a firm favourite to both Saracens and England fans.

So far in his rugby career, he has won three English Premiership titles with Saracens, two European Rugby Champions Cup titles, and two Six Nations Championship titles.

Early life

Maro Itoje was born in Camden, London on 28 October 1994 to Nigerian parents.[2] He attended Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate, North London at a primary level, before moving to St George's School, Harpenden, a state boarding school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and later Harrow School, a public school in the outer reaches of Greater London. He is reading for a Politics degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury, London. As a schoolboy, Itoje played several sports including basketball, football, rugby and athletics, representing England at U17 level in shot put.[3]

Club career

His senior debut for Saracens came in the 2013–14 season, aged 19, when he played against Cardiff Blues in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. He made his Aviva Premiership debut against Leicester Tigers later in the same season. Prior to this he had played for Harpenden RFC at junior level (2005–11), then in the first team at Old Albanian RFC, usually as a lock (second row forward). In 2016 he led Saracens to victory in the European Champions' Cup final against Racing Metro '92 with a final score of 21–9, picking up the Man of the Match award.

In the same season Itoje was named European player of the Year.[4]

International career

Itoje represented England at U18 and captained the England U20 team in the 2013–14 season. He scored a try in every 2014 Six Nations Under 20s Championship game and was England’s Man of the Tournament.

Also in 2014 Itoje with England won the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship captaining the side throughout the tournament.[5]

Itoje was called up to the England Saxons squad on 21 January 2015 [6][6] and made his debut against Ireland Wolfhounds on 30 January 2015.

Itoje was selected for the England 2015 Rugby World Cup training squad [7] and received his first call-up to the senior England squad from new coach Eddie Jones on 13 January 2016 for the 2016 Six Nations Championship.[8] He went on to make his first-team debut against Italy and was named Man of the Match for his performance in the win against Wales on 12 March 2016.[9] England later went on to win the Grand Slam. Itoje also played a starring role in the summer series win against Australia, starting all three Tests.

Itoje was selected for the British and Irish Lions for their tour of New Zealand[10], being the youngest player named in the 41-man squad, aged 22. He was one of the standout players on the tour, scoring one try against the Maori All Blacks[11] and appearing in all three tests against the All Blacks. The Lions went on to draw the three game series in the final test.

Style of play

Itoje has been described by many as a hard-working player and also as a team leader, with many writers claiming him to be a "star player".[12] He is extremely mobile and agile for a lock forward, with the capacity to get into wide channels, make breaks through his speed, and claim turnovers in the ruck. He is also outstanding in the air, whether in the lineout or open play. Many believe he has no real weaknesses as a rugby player although arguably he does give away too many penalties.

Career honours

Saracens

England

References

  1. ↑ "Profile". RFU. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Schofield, Daniel. (13 November 2015) England future star Maro Itoje showing with Saracens that age and experience are irrelevant. Telegraph. Retrieved on 2016-12-11.
  3. ↑ "England's new thinking man's enforcer". ESPN SCRUM. 19 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Maro Itoje named European Player of the Year".
  5. ↑ "Junior World Championship: England 21-20 South Africa". 20 June 2014 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. 1 2 "Maro Itoje: England Saxons call delights Saracens forward". BBC. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "England announce Rugby World Cup training group". englandrugby.com. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Six Nations 2016: Josh Beaumont in new-look England squad". BBC. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Super Maro! England star Itoje is a modern-day forward whose story Jones has to manage with care. Telegraph.co.uk (12 March 2016). Retrieved on 2016-12-11.
  10. ↑ "British & Irish Lions Squad Announcement". British & Irish Lions. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  11. ↑ "Lions and Maro Itoje too strong for Maori All Blacks on niggly night". The Guardian. 2017-06-17. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  12. ↑ "Maro Itoje: The making of an England star - by those who know him best". The Telegraph. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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