Maro Itoje: I want Owen Farrell in my England team
When asked about his decision to appoint Bundee Aki to the head of the touring party's fines committee, those asked with punishing alleged misdemeanours, Itoje chose the famous quote from Lord Acton, the 19 th century British politician and historian, on the dangers of concentrated authority.
'I'm slightly regretting it now,' says the Lions captain of his decision to appoint Aki to the position even though he had been warned by some of the senior Ireland players not to do so. 'The phrase, I learnt it in politics, I can't remember who said it exactly, but the phrase is power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely. That definitely applies to Bundee Aki.'
Itoje has a degree in politics from London's School of Oriental and African Studies, a master's degree in business, is a co-owner of an art gallery and set up a fund to help disadvantaged children in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Yet even a player with Itoje's intellect cannot fathom the furore that Owen Farrell 's call-up to the Lions squad, as revealed by Telegraph Sport, generated last week. 'It's quite remarkable, really. He does provoke pretty strong reactions, either way. It's pretty crazy. I'm sure he's thinking 'What did I do?' But no, he's fine, and I think everything will be cool.'
At that moment, sitting in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Canberra, Farrell walks along the corridor several floors above looking down on Itoje; a snapshot of the elephant in the room. Critics of Farrell's call-up suggested that his persona as Itoje's former Saracens and England captain would undermine the authority of the Lions captain.
Itoje sees it differently, and his answer shines a light not just on their relationship which stretches back beyond their time with England and Saracens, but also how Itoje sees his leadership role.
'I've had a great relationship with Owen since... Owen and I actually went to the same school (St George's in Harpenden). When I was in year seven, he was in year 10 so I've known Owen since I was literally 11 years old,' he says.
'But he didn't start talking to me until maybe I was 12 or so. The year 10s didn't really speak to the year sevens. When I got to Year 8, he started to talk. I've obviously known him for donkey's years now. I have a very good relationship with him. And he just wants the squad to do well.
'He's obviously back at Saracens now, which is great. And he just wants the team to do well. I always think sport is, for me particularly, is never about ego. I want people to speak, have their voices heard, and contribute in a positive way. It's never about me, if I'm captain, having the final say or sticking my chest out or anything like that. It's not about that.
It's about how can we as a collective get the best result. How can we as a collective win? How can the team be successful? Because when the team is successful, first of all, you can't do it by yourself. And two, when the team is successful, everyone wins. Everyone has a brighter light shone on them.
'And everyone can dine on that glory for years to come. So that's all I care about. And I know Owen's exact same. That's not an issue at all.'
Farrell's decision to return to Saracens from Racing 92 last month has also opened up the possibility of the 33-year-old playing for England again next season. Farrell stepped back from the international stage after the 2023 World Cup for mental health reasons. Now he has returned to the biggest stage of all, representing the Lions on what is now his fourth tour. He is set to make his first appearance against the AuNz invitational side in Adelaide on Saturday and could yet force his way on the bench for the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane.
So would Itoje love to see him back with England as well? 'Yeah, why not? I want to see him be happy,' he adds. 'If he wants to play for England, why not? That would be amazing if that is in his plans and in his dreams. Owen is one of the best England players that we've ever seen. A fit Owen Farrell makes any team better. If that's in his ambitions, why not?'
The question now is whether Farrell can make the Lions better, and Johnny Sexton, the kicking coach who played with Farrell on the 2013 and 2017 tours, said he had hit the ground running during his first proper training session in Canberra on Tuesday.
'He's already up to speed, with how he has trained,' said Sexton. 'He came off the plane and knew the plays and everything that was going on. He has trained really well today. You can see the touches he had and you could see how he was helping the No 10s, because he was at 12 today, in the bibs team, as we call them – the second team. He carved us open a couple of times.
'So, we can see the value that he's going to bring for the rest of the tour. How could you not bring him? He's a world-class player. I know he's had a little bit of injury, but so has Sione [Tuipulotu] and so has Huw Jones – they hadn't played much in the four or five months before this, just a couple of games.
'When the team [squad] was picked, there were other players who were picked without a lot of rugby. I remember Sean O'Brien getting picked in 2017 with no rugby behind him and he was played into form on tour. You could say something similar about me in 2017 as well.
'Experience is experience. He's a world-class player. Look at what he's won. He's not just a guy who has hung on to the coat-tails of other people, he's the one who has been driving those teams. He's been fantastic to have in camp and I'm sure he's going to add loads for the rest of the tour.'
For now, Itoje and Sexton's focus is on ensuring the Lions deliver a statement performance against the ACT Brumbies on Wednesday, leading what is a Test side in all but name. Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach, has been frustrated that his side have not been direct enough in their approach on tour so far.
It is time for a Test match performance, and the narrative this week has been about avenging the defeat here 12 years ago against the Brumbies.
'Rugby doesn't change too much, whether it's Harpenden under-14s rugby or the Lions,' Itoje adds. 'You have to go forward. You have to earn the right, the famous saying, earn the right to go wide.
'And that is definitely the case for us. We need to punch holes, get go forward, then space opens up, wherever that may be. At times we've been very good in playing direct and playing through teams. But at times we probably look to go wide before we probably earn the right.
'The Brumbies are a very good outfit and they've been preparing for us for the last four weeks or so. So they're going to be ready. They're going to be ready to go. But so are we.
'This is a big game for us. This is a big game. All these games and tours are building towards something. And this is another important step forward for us.'
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