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England will kick off their Six Nations training camp in Spain this week without their captain, Maro Itoje, who has travelled to Nigeria for his mother’s funeral. Itoje was conspicuously absent from the official Six Nations championship launch in Edinburgh on Monday and is not expected to join up with his squad until Wednesday evening.
With the tournament commencing on Thursday week every team is scrambling to be ready for their opening games but Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, has given the Saracens lock permission to miss the start of this week’s training block in Girona. “He is in Nigeria for the funeral of his mother and we are all deeply saddened for him,” said Borthwick, whose side open their campaign at home to Wales on Saturday week.
“When I have talked to him I sense emotionally he has found it very tough, very challenging. I also sense from him that his family all going to Nigeria for the funeral is an important aspect for him. I know he will be looking forward to rejoining us after that and we look forward to having him back.”
Itoje’s captaincy duties at the launch, held at the top of the Royal Mile beneath Edinburgh Castle, were undertaken by his longtime teammate Jamie George who, just two years ago, led England at Murrayfield the week after his own mother died of cancer. “We’ve spoken a lot,” said George. “The parallels are scary, really. It’s heartbreaking news. I know how much of a difficult time he’s going through.
“My biggest message to him was to make sure he gives himself enough time to grieve and to process things. He’s had a good opportunity to do that and is only going to come back when he’s fully ready to give everything of himself to the squad. He’s in Nigeria at the minute but he’ll be back ready to give all of himself to the team and be successful to make the rest of his family very proud. We’re all determined to do that for him, too.”
Such situations clearly put minor details like a game of rugby into perspective but this year the majority of nations are encountering varying degrees of untimely disruption. France, for example, have just lost their prop Uini Atonio and flanker Paul Boudehent to injuries on the eve of the championship, with the Toulouse pair Georges-Henri Colombe and Alexandre Roumat added to the squad as replacements.
Ireland, who commence their campaign against France, also have worrying front-row issues, particularly at loosehead prop where Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle are all injured, prompting a call-up for Connacht’s uncapped 20-year-old Billy Bohan. Further injuries in such a key area would be seriously problematic given the power of the French pack. As the captain, Caelan Doris, drily put it, an opening night in Paris “definitely sharpens the mind”.
Antoine Dupont, similarly, has urged his players “to be ready” for their entrance next Thursday evening, the fixture having been brought forward to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. The Wales captain, Dewi Lake, meanwhile, says his side will be bringing “sheer fight and will” to their first-round match against England despite the off-field uncertainty about the future shape of the Welsh domestic game.
Borthwick, though, is primarily braced for a barrage of high balls, suggesting the hosts are anticipating “50 kicks” from a Welsh side hoping to apply aerial pressure and feast off the scraps. Either way, the head coach will not necessarily be reshaping his entire tactical approach to suit the recently released Rugby Football Union strategic plan, which specifically urges the national team not only to be consistent major title winners “but to do so in a way that inspires future generations”. “We want to win every game we go into,” said Borthwick. “Very clearly we want to win the World Cup in 2027. I want the players to attack this tournament and come with an attitude to play fast and to play brave.”
England, meanwhile, may split their summer tour resources to maximise their prospects of victory in their inaugural Nations Championship games in South Africa and Argentina in July. With Tests in Johannesburg and Santiago del Estero either side of a Test against Fiji scheduled to be staged in the north of England, it is possible several senior England players will head straight on to Buenos Aires rather than fly back to the UK. “It’s one of the considerations I have right now,” said Borthwick. “We are looking at how we manage that.” An England XV is also due to play a French XV in Vannes on Friday 19 June.
