Maro Itoje has admitted he is still striving to emulate Martin Johnson’s level of success in an England jersey as he prepares to go past the World Cup‑winning captain on the list of national caps holders on Saturday.
Itoje is tied with Johnson on 84 caps on England’s all-time list but will join Lawrence Dallaglio and Rory Underwood in 13th place when he faces the All Blacks at Twickenham.
Johnson led England to World Cup glory in 2003, while Itoje has reached a final and a semi-final to date and collected three Six Nations winners’ medals, including one grand slam. Itoje has played against the All Blacks on eight occasions for England and the British & Irish Lions and finished on the winning side twice, including the 2019 World Cup semi-final in which he turned in a performance for the ages. He has also drawn twice against New Zealand, including on their last visit to Twickenham in 2022.
England have not beaten the All Blacks on home soil in 12 years, however, and Itoje has called on his side to develop the winning habit displayed in Johnson’s era after two narrow defeats by New Zealand during the summer tour.
127 Ben Youngs (scrum half, 2010-2023)
115 Dan Cole (prop, 2010-)
114 Jason Leonard (prop, 1990-2003)
112 Owen Farrell (fly-half/centre, 2012-2023)
105 Courtney Lawes (lock, 2009-2023)
101 Danny Care (scrum-half, 2008-2024)
97 Dylan Hartley (hooker, 2008-2018)
96 George Ford (fly-half, 2014-)
95 Joe Marler (prop, 2012-)
93 Jamie George (hooker, 2015-)
91 Jonny Wilkinson (fly-half, 1998–2011)
85 Lawrence Dallaglio (No 8, 1995–2007)
85 Rory Underwood (wing, 1984-1996)
84 Maro Itoje 84 (lock, 2016-)
84 Martin Johnson (lock, 1993-2003)
Itoje said: “All things being well I’m going to get a few more caps, and the big thing is not just about racking up caps. What Martin Johnson did was win. He won Six Nations, these big games against southern hemisphere teams, and while I’ve also done that in my career, there’s more. Him and some of the other guys in yesteryear set the standard in terms of winning. As a team that’s what we want to build towards, we want to win. I don’t want to just get to a high number of caps and for it to look good on my rugby CV. I want to be part of winning England teams.”
Itoje was among the 17 players awarded enhanced England contracts last week and was one of the five who led the negotiations with the Rugby Football Union over the new deals. When the deals were announced, senior players expressed welfare concerns and Itoje revealed that they wanted more done to ensure guaranteed rest periods for international players. Last season Itoje exceeded the mandated game limit, which has come down to 30 as part of the new Professional Game Partnership, and could do so again this season with the Lions tour of Australia on the horizon.
“I don’t think it is necessarily wise to be playing that amount of games every year,” Itoje said. “It is a bit of a difficult one and it does require management. In an ideal world, we just need to be really clever about the England games, because no one wants to miss any England games. You don’t want to miss big games for your club either, so it does require some working through.
“It is very difficult. The years where it is a stress are World Cup years and, without being presumptuous about anything, Lions years. They are the two years, especially if your club is competitive and getting further down the line. And with the further squeezing of squads, that also doesn’t help.
“It is difficult and they are the two years when it is likely to go over. I guess the important thing, which these enhanced contracts will do, is to look at things in its totality so that in years when it not a World Cup year or a Lions year, you can manage the players which this new infrastructure will allow the clubs and the union to do.”
