There have been 7623 minutes played, 1139 tackles made, 375 lineouts claimed, and 115 turnovers won. There have been 10 England lock partners, nine British and Irish Lions Tests, five Premiership titles, three Six Nations triumphs, club teammates born in 1978 and 2006 – but only one Maro Itoje.
There have been eight previous Englishmen to achieve a century of caps for their country but perhaps none have seemed so certain to reach the landmark as the current captain. Even before his first cap arrived almost exactly a decade ago, head coach Eddie Jones found himself having to temper expectations about a player he described as a Vauxhall Viva that he wished to turn into a BMW. “I want him to be a great rugby player and I don’t want him to be built up to be a headline before he’s a headline,” Jones explained. “So far he has done nothing. When he’s played a massive game for England, won lineouts, won a significant Test match, I’ll let you talk to him all week.” Needless to say, Itoje has done a lot of talking since.
