FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England Training - Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Britain - November 19, 2024 England's Maro Itoje during training Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -England coach Steve Borthwick sprung a surprise when naming his Six Nations squad on Tuesday when he made lock Maro Itoje his new captain in place of Jamie George, though the hooker was still included in the 36-man training group.
George, 34, took over the captaincy from Owen Farrell after the 2023 World Cup, but has routinely been hauled off early in the second half of games, with Itoje taking over the captaincy duties.
England let late leads slip in many of their matches in 2024 and Borthwick was regularly questioned about his team's ability to close games out with his captain usually watching, helpless, from the sidelines.
Itoje, 30, has 88 caps and has long been touted as captaincy material after leading the under-20s team to their Junior World Cup triumph in 2014. He has also taken over the captaincy of Saracens - ahead of George - this season, though the jury is still out somewhat over his on-pitch influence.
"He is a calm, influential leader, renowned for his commitment to upholding high standards and his ability to motivate those around him," Borthwick said of Itoje.
"His strong rapport with the squad and coaches, combined with his leadership experience at Saracens, makes him ideally placed to take on this responsibility."
Borthwick said that having his captain on the pitch for most, if not all, of a match was also a factor in his decision. "Definitely, I think if you ask any coach, the preference would always be to have the captain on for 80 minutes," he said.
"Jamie's disappointed, as anybody would be, he's a very proud Englishman and he's led the team over the last 12 months with a great deal of pride. But one of Jamie's great strengths as a leader, as a person, as a player, is that he always put the team first."
Itoje said: "I am incredibly humbled and honoured to have been asked by Steve to be England captain. It's a truly incredible privilege for both me and my family.
"With the role comes a great deal of responsibility, but I’m at a point in my career where I feel ready to give my all to serve the team and the fans with the captaincy, and also produce my best on the field."
Uncapped Harlequins backs Oscar Beard and Cadan Murley were included in the squad, as was Tom Willis, who has been in great form at Number Eight for Saracens, and he can expect to win a second cap after a sole appearance in a World Cup warm up game in 2023.
Notable absentees are veteran prop Dan Cole, scrumhalf Ben Spencer and promising Northampton flanker Henry Pollock, who turned 20 on Tuesday and was widely tipped to be involved.
England begin their Six Nations campaign away to Ireland on Feb. 1 and then host France the following week and need to find an uplift in results after a year where they lost seven of 11 games, including three in succession at Twickenham.
They have won the Six Nations once (2020) in the last seven years.
"You look at the start, I sense when I'm talking to players, a real excitement to get going," Borthwick said. "You see a team that in the last 12 months has developed, the players have got pace and athleticism now, I think that's got to be tailored to the way England play.
"We've got a whole lot of talent. That backline that's started to come together over the last year has got the potential to be very, very good."
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Christian Radnedge)
