mens
nations-championship
Maro Itoje insists England are ready to submit to Eddie Jones’ plans when Japan visit the Allianz Stadium on Saturday Nations Championship showdown.
Jones accepts his Brave Blossoms are huge underdogs to record their first win in seven Tests between the rivals, but planned for an afternoon of “mayhem” in the belief that “the English don’t respond well to unorthodox rugby”.
The crafty Australian gave Itoje his debut in 2016 when he was England’s head coach, and after seven years of playing under his leadership, the host captain knows to expect the unexpected.
“Most coaches want to make you think,” Itoje said. “Eddie would throw us a bunch of weird and wonderful things to keep us sharp and on our toes.
“Whether it’s unorthodox attacking shapes, set-up things – I know Japan will want to keep the ball in play or come up with special unique plays.
“We have to be alive, alive alive. It is impossible to mark every possibility that the opponent could do, especially a team like Japan who has a very special way of playing.
“Let’s not go into things sleepwalking and think ‘most teams play like this’ because Japan is not most teams. First, we have to be alive. Second, we have to impose our game. That’s what has been happening.”
“If we’re alive and have a tidy house, then we should be able to handle what they throw at us.”
An important afternoon awaits England starters Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph after head coach Steve Borthwick made it clear the second of four Tests this month is an audition for a World Cup berth.
As many as 28 of his 33-man squad for the global showpiece have already been named, leaving the less established names to battle it out with Japan as a rare opportunity for fringe players to shine.
But Itoje warns that prioritizing personal glory at the expense of the team will backfire as England look to build on an impressive 45-22 demolition Australia which initiated their fall.
“The way you impress is to fully express yourself in the context of the team,” Itoje said.
“If you have 15 players doing their own thing, it’s not going to look great and then nobody really shines.
“The message this week – and every week really – is that we want the best from each of these guys, whether it’s Will Joseph or Max Ojomoh.
“We want them to fully express themselves, but in the context of a team, so we can all work together and it’s coherent.”
Itoje is on course to lead England to the World Cup as he benefits from sitting out the July tour, his first full off-season break in more than a decade.
Over the summer his wife Mimi gave birth to their first child Moses, who made his debut at Twickenham last Sunday.
“When my son was born, I felt an overwhelming sense of duty – duty to him, duty to my wife,” Itoje said.
“I want to give him a good example, guide him and help him be a responsible person in this world we live in.”
“Having a child made me appreciate rugby, but it also made me believe – and I’ve always tried to do that, but it made him more present – that when he’s old enough to look back on all the work in my career, he’ll be proud to look back and respect the work his dad did.”
The England captain’s run in pictures:
