Steve Borthwick has called on England supporters to give Maro Itoje “the roar he deserves” when he comes off the bench in his side’s Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.
Borthwick has taken the decision to omit Itoje from the starting lineup after his captain missed the start of England’s training camp in Girona to attend his mother’s funeral in Nigeria. Jamie George assumes the role of which he was stripped when Itoje was handed the captaincy 12 months ago, while Borthwick has handed a first start since the 2023 World Cup to the in-form winger Henry Arundell and selected Tommy Freeman at outside centre.
