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Maro Itoje has revealed that he turned down lucrative offers from French club rugby due to his unfulfilled ambitions with England rugby .
Itoje leads England into Saturday’s crunch Six Nations clash at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham satisfied that his decision to commit to Saracens in January last year, amid offers from Lyon and Toulon, was the right call.
“The reason I didn’t pursue that is because I wanted to play for England. I felt like my time in an England shirt was not quite done yet,” said Itoje, who is one of 17 players on an enhanced contract with the Rugby Football Union.
“In my heart of hearts, I would have been looking at England playing from across the Channel and I wouldn’t have been at peace with the decision.
“There are a whole load of different factors one can use to determine whether you stay here or go there but, for me, I felt if I went it would have been a bit premature if I went at that time.”
Had Itoje accepted one of the offers, he would have become ineligible for England selection due to a rule that prohibits Steve Borthwick from picking players based overseas.
It is a hotly-debated position adopted by the RFU that means the likes of Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and Owen Farrell – all members of the 2023 World Cup squad – are unavailable to Borthwick.
Itoje believes that England should have access to all of their internationals.
“We want all the best players to be available for selection for England. We want all the guys who are playing well playing for England, or at least being available for selection,” he said.
“But everyone has their own individual careers and you have to make decisions which benefit you. I have a lot of respect for all the guys out there.
“I have played quite a lot of rugby and spent quite a lot of time with a lot of them. I wish them all the best. Many of them could be in England but that doesn’t mean they would get picked because there is a lot of competition in almost every position. Nothing is guaranteed whether they are here or there.”
After just one match of his England captaincy, Itoje is already in must-win territory due to the 27-22 defeat by Ireland that opened the tournament.
France impressed in round one as they swatted aside Wales using a combination of rapier and broadsword and Itoje insists the key to stunning the odds-on favourites is winning the collisions.
“The non-negotiables, first and foremost, is the physicality,” the 30-year-old said. “You need to make sure you’re physical, that you’re winning that gainline because they’re a team that if you allow them to do that then they become difficult.
“We want to be aggressive as a team, getting off the line and hitting them and stopping them in their tracks. That’s our mindset.”
