Maro Itoje has challenged himself to step up and seize the moment in England’s upcoming Six Nations campaign.
The Lions star was stung by Eddie Jones questioning his leadership qualities in the autumn, even taking himself off to communication classes.
And this week Itoje showed his new-found readiness to lead by taking charge of an impromptu team meeting in a Brighton pub after a fire wrecked England’s best laid plans.
Itoje insists the Red Rose brigade are in a totally different place to a year ago when they slumped to their worst ever tournament finish.
He is also both expecting and demanding more of himself in a campaign which kicks off away to Scotland on Saturday.
Itoje said: “I’ve been part of the team now for five and a half years and, as rugby players, sometimes you get into a way of thinking 'if I don’t do it this year I’ll do it next year'. That I’m still in that age profile which means I’ll be around for the next World Cup.
"Well, rugby doesn’t work like that. Nothing tomorrow is guaranteed. Each moment you experience you really have to relish.
“Who knows I might wake up tomorrow and there’s a whole new generation of giant second rows who’ve dropped on the planet, like [the film] Space Jam .
“I could be yesterday’s news. You have to make the most of opportunities and the moments you have because they can be taken from you very quickly.”
Itoje talks of a “new sense of optimism” compared to a year ago when he was kicking his heels at Saracens, who had been banished from the Premiership to a league without a start date.
“We are in a completely different place individually and as a team,” said a player who cut a frustrated figure, conceding a championship-high 12 penalties as England trailed in fifth.
“Back then individually a few players didn’t have a lot of game time, there were no fans at matches and we were operating in a more restrictive Covid environment.
“Compare that to now and we’re miles apart. We’re in a much stronger position, coming off a decent autumn, a new team and coaches.
“We’re certainly not looking backwards to the type of team we were. We’re looking forward to the type of team we believe we’re going to be.”
Jones’ most pressing decision could yet be who leads England into the tournament.
He named Owen Farrell as captain only for the Saracens playmaker to suffer a freak training ground injury which ended his campaign before it could begin.
Courtney Lawes is next cab off the rank yet is struggling to overcome a concussion and nobody is about to rush that.
Whether or not Itoje gets the call for a job which Jones only recently considered him ill-equipped for remains to be seen.
Armband or not, Itoje appears ready to lead from the front in erasing the memory of a year ago.
