'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'
The Independent|October 29, 2024
We all know Maro Itoje's leadership qualities in rugby, but he tells Harry Latham-Coyle he has big ambitions off the pitch
- Harry Latham-Coyle
'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'

Maro Itoje has a mantra: “Keep the main thing the main thing”. The Saracens and England lock can’t quite recall how he first came across these words of wisdom but in a career now extending into a second decade, they have served him well. For there would be plenty to distract a true lock polymath, from a love of African art, to his charitable efforts with the Pearl Fund and his passion for politics. But his true obsession, he insists, is rugby – and, more specifically, winning.

“Winning is what matters,” the ever considered and compelling Itoje tells The Independent. “It is a great honour to play for England, but I don’t want to be one of those players who just wins loads of caps. I want to be part of winning teams. That has always been my motivation.”

It is a charming evening at England’s training base in Girona. At Itoje’s request, we have hauled two chairs out into the Catalan sun – a long day is nearly at an end, and with less clement weather waiting to welcome him home, the second row is eager to soak up some restorative rays before the autumn begins.

Leviathan limbs unfurling as he reclines, the lock carries an air of contentment. These have been months of personal and professional fulfilment for a player back at the top of his game. The start of the Premiership season brought news of his elevation to the Saracens captaincy, an honour he accepted with gratitude. Weeks earlier, Itoje had made an offer of his own to fiancee Mimi, their two-part Nigerian wedding set for next summer. In the course of this Autumn Nations Series, he will close in on 90 caps in an England shirt.

この蚘事は The Independent の October 29, 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は The Independent の October 29, 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

THE INDEPENDENTのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'
The Independent

'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'

We all know Maro Itoje's leadership qualities in rugby, but he tells Harry Latham-Coyle he has big ambitions off the pitch

time-read
5 分  |
October 29, 2024
Defiance proved no match for a bizarre brand of chaos
The Independent

Defiance proved no match for a bizarre brand of chaos

Erik ten Hag has a class of defiance that sometimes made him sound a man apart.

time-read
4 分  |
October 29, 2024
The 'fight has been called off' for staggering Ten Hag
The Independent

The 'fight has been called off' for staggering Ten Hag

Man United sack manager with the club 14th in league

time-read
4 分  |
October 29, 2024
Gift economy: John Lewis to hire 12,500 festive staff
The Independent

Gift economy: John Lewis to hire 12,500 festive staff

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is set to hire 12,500 temporary staff this festive season in its largest seasonal recruitment drive to date.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Zoopla says £113bn of sales in pipeline as market surges
The Independent

Zoopla says £113bn of sales in pipeline as market surges

An estimated £113bn-worth of homes are working their way through the buying process in what marks the highest level of new sales agreed since autumn 2020, according to the property website Zoopla.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Look to Ireland to embrace the true spirit of Halloween
The Independent

Look to Ireland to embrace the true spirit of Halloween

Anna Hart speaks to historians, spiritual leaders and revellers about Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival now enjoying a resurgence but which the Irish were forcibly taught to forget

time-read
6 分  |
October 29, 2024
Depardieu sexual assault trial postponed until March
The Independent

Depardieu sexual assault trial postponed until March

Gerard Depardieu’s trial on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a film set was yesterday postponed until March due to concerns about the actor’s health.

time-read
4 分  |
October 29, 2024
Big Apple rotten to the core at Trump's Garden party
The Independent

Big Apple rotten to the core at Trump's Garden party

A 'surreal' return to New York saw 19,000 people cheer on crude insults and attacks nine days before the US election

time-read
5 分  |
October 29, 2024
Paedophile who made AI images jailed for 18 years.
The Independent

Paedophile who made AI images jailed for 18 years.

A man has been jailed for 18 years after creating AI-generated images of child sexual abuse in an “utterly chilling” landmark case.

time-read
3 分  |
October 29, 2024
Fertility rate in England and Wales plunges to record low
The Independent

Fertility rate in England and Wales plunges to record low

The fertility rate in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level since records began, new government data shows.

time-read
2 分  |
October 29, 2024