Sept 19 (Askume) – England and Saracens captain Maro Itoje said it was unfortunate that former manager Eddie Jones had questioned his leadership in a book that claimed the player was an “introvert” used to putting himself forward rather than others.
Jones, who coached England between 2015 and 2022, said in his 2021 book Leadership: Lessons Learned from My Rugby Life that he was unsure whether Itoje would be a future England captain given the incident occurred while Itoje was playing.
Jones wrote: “He will go down as one of the great players, but Marleau is very much an introvert … he doesn’t usually impress people off the field.”
“I could be wrong but I’m not sure Maro will captain England in the future.”
Itoje, who co-captained England when they won the Under-20 World Championship in 2014 and was made Saracens captain in August, said Jones had misdiagnosed him.
“I think it’s unfortunate that your coach said something like that to you, but in life not everyone sees things the way you do,” Itoje was quoted as saying by British media on Wednesday.
“Even if it’s wrong, some people will come to a different conclusion. That’s part of it … I just want to be what I believe in.”
The 29-year-old made his debut for England in 2016 and has played 84 Tests, scoring six times and providing five assists.
Itoje has yet to captain England, while his friend and Saracens teammate Jamie George hasLed England in this year’s Six Nations after Owen Farrell retired from international rugby .
“I’m not commenting on other people’s work. I’m just starting out. I want to do my best and see where we end up,” Itoje said.
Jones resigned as Australia’s head coach last year;Taking over as the head coach of the Japanese team, he will face the England team in November.
