Rugby star Maro Itoje has defended himself amid criticism concerning a dip in form and revealed his drop-off in performance was likely impacted by an 'underlying' health condition.
Itoje made his England debut in 2016 at just 21 years of age and has since cemented his spot as a bedrock of the national team's pack. It should come as no surprise that his own slump has coincided with England losing their way somewhat over the past year or so, suffering defeat in seven of their 13 games over the course of 2022.
That led to criticism from journalists and figures like 2003 Rugby World Cup-winner Lawrence Dallaglio, the ex-England captain who recently said his countryman was performing at a "six out of 10." While it's true Itoje hasn't been immune to the drowse that's overcome just about every England international of recent times, details of a health issue that was only recently cleared up give some explanation as to why.
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“I guess over the last year or so there have been things which have probably affected my conditioning, which has resulted in me being perhaps a little less energised,” the Saracens talisman told iNews. “There have been injury bits, a few niggles, a few things that I’ve had ongoing which I didn’t know were ongoing.
“It was some health things behind, which I know have had an impact. Due to how I was feeling it probably wasn’t the quality of what I would expect for myself. All of that has kind of been resolved over the last three weeks. I’m now in, I think, a much better position.”
The public picking apart of England hit new heights after they were soundly bested by Scotland in this year's Six Nations opener, though they've since hit back with wins over Italy and Wales. Former Sarries team-mate Jim Hamilton piled on by suggesting this version of Itoje was "definitely not the Maro of that 2019 World Cup semi-final [win over] New Zealand."
But the two-time British and Irish Lions tourist bit back with a laugh, adding: “I don’t think I’ve been terrible. I don’t think I’ve gone on the pitch being, you know, a liability. I still think I’ve made an impact, I don’t think I’ve been a dud on the field. It was an underlying thing, which none of us knew was going on. Through doing some checks, we were able to ID it and then rectify it.”
In some ways, it may work in Steve Borthwick's favour that his earliest days as England head coach have been slow, lowering expectations ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France this autumn. However, Itoje will not be treated with the same patience, having cultivated a reputation where elite standards are expected on a game-by-game basis.
While one can't cast predictions for the squad as a whole, one can bet an Itoje blessed with greater clarity and fewer off-field burdens will produce at the level fans are used to seeing. His next chance to demonstrate those devastating talents is 'Le Crunch' on Saturday as England host rivals France in the penultimate round of this year's Six Nations.
