The French championship has established itself more than ever as the strongest club competition in Europe and the world. Since the arrival of All Black star Tana Umaga in Toulon in 2006, France has welcomed big names from the southern hemisphere such as Bryan Habana, Dan Carter and Sony Bill Williams, and also English legend Jonny Wilkinson. The French public should not, however, have the chance to admire Maro Itoje (1.95 m, 115 kg).
While his contract with Saracens – with whom he was crowned champion of England four times and won the European Cup three times – ends in June 2024, the 28-year-old second row (77 caps) would receive, according to The Rugby Paper, an annual salary of 900,000 pounds, or more than a million euros per year. He would also receive 25,000 pounds (approximately 29,000 euros) per match played with his national team.
Maro Itoje is a star of the oval ball who revealed himself to the general public during the 2019 World Cup. The Nigerian native notably delivered a dazzling performance against the All Blacks in the semi-final (19-7) with 12 tackles, 3 scratched balls, 7 balls caught in touches, 23 meters gained in 8 races.
He won everything or almost everything with the XV de Rose. International U18, U19 and U20, called up with the British and Irish Lions, Itoje was crowned Junior world champion in 2014. With England, he won the 6 Nations Tournament three times, including the Grand Slam in 2016 and he stumbled on the last step of the World Cup, four years ago against South Africa (32-12). The finale of the French edition falls on his 29th birthday. It would be a gift from heaven for Itoje.
Especially since, like an England team that has been moribund in recent months and like a catastrophic 6 Nations Tournament (4th with two victories for 3 defeats), it has shone less, having been upset for a long time by physical glitches. During the last Tournament, he was particularly shaken by the French forwards and made improbable hand mistakes and missed tackles. The second-row was also one of ten players in the starting XV during the humiliating 30-22 defeat to Fiji in August.
Since the XV de la Rose, on a roller coaster, has regained a little of its spice. Looking ahead to the reunion with the Fijians, Itoje warns: “We want to play smart rugby and play to our strengths. But it always starts with a state of mind.”
Also read: Gaël Fickou: “Before the arrival of Fabien Galthié, we played matches knowing that we were going to lose”
Maro Itoje, the English spearhead, proved that he was capable of transcending himself in major events. In warrior mode. In the oven and in the mill, he notably played a leading role in England’s inaugural victory over Argentina (27-10). Omnipresent in defense, his valuable scratches made the difference against the physically dominated Argentines.
The native of Camden – a district of London – passionate about poetry, studied at the private high school in Harrow, which notably welcomed Winston Churchill on its benches. Before joining the Institute of Oriental and African Studies in London with the aim of launching, after his sporting career, into… politics on the African continent. He only started playing rugby in 2006 at the age of 12. This well-made head has made up for lost time.
