Maro Itoje asserts that there is “no crack” in England’s leadership group despite the on-field disagreement during the loss to Italy on Saturday.
Itoje was part of a discussion with fly-half Fin Smith and vice captains Ellis Genge and Jamie George early in the second half of the 23-18 Six Nations defeat that has placed England in a challenging situation.
The conversation revolved around whether to attempt a penalty goal or to set up an attacking line-out, culminating in Itoje telling Smith, “Don’t argue with me! Take the three.”
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England is looking to break their three-Test losing streak when they meet France in Paris on Saturday, and Itoje stated that they approach the championship’s conclusion without any discord among senior players.
“There’s no crack. There’s no crack between us. Fin’s a good guy and I get along with him very well,” Itoje remarked.
“When you have strong relationships with others, you can engage in those types of discussions and move past them quite swiftly.
“There was no lingering issue from that. Naturally, I suppose due to the defeat, it was exaggerated more than it truly was.”
Itoje’s emphatic delivery of his directive to Smith marked the first occasion the British and Irish Lions captain has raised his voice on the pitch in such a manner.
“I didn’t really lose it!” the Saracens lock chuckled. “You don’t often see me with a mic; I’m not always mic’d up, but perhaps I’m giving off a misleading impression!
“Fin is my guy. As always, I prefer to hear what my key decision-makers think about the situation, and whoever plays 10 will obviously have a significant role in that.
“I initially inquired about what we thought we should do, and I guess he shared his perspective, I shared mine, and I just wanted to quickly transition to the next action.
“I actually believe it’s positive that team members feel they can voice their opinions, and in sports, if anything, that’s the most benign fallout that has ever occurred. We’ve had far more direct conversations among ourselves and with other teammates!
“There’s no significant issue. After that exchange, we even shared a laugh on the pitch as well.”
England’s squad arrived in Paris on Thursday after spending the previous three days at a training camp in Verona.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has made one personnel change for the Stade de France encounter, selecting Ollie Chessum at blindside flanker, with Sam Underhill moving to the bench to accommodate him.
Borthwick received a vote of confidence from the Rugby Football Union on Sunday following the latest setback and has the summer tour to demonstrate he is the right choice to guide England to the 2027 World Cup.
