“Jamie George has never had to have the label or badge of captain to be a good leader. I know he will continue to do that.”England hooker Jamie George discovered he would relinquish the captaincy responsibility “less than 24 hours” before the Six Nations squad was named, it has emerged. The decision is understandable in […]
“Jamie George has never had to have the label or badge of captain to be a good leader. I know he will continue to do that.”England hooker Jamie George discovered he would relinquish the captaincy responsibility “less than 24 hours” before the Six Nations squad was named, it has emerged.
The decision is understandable in that George is 34 years of age while Itoje is four years his junior, but what is surprising is when the front-rower was informed.
Itoje promotion
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The surprise news from Tuesday’s announcement was that George would be handing over the main leadership job, with Maro Itoje moving up to captaincy duties.
“He [George] was in work when the announcements were being made, and what I have seen from him the last two days has just been the normal, phenomenal teammate.
“Maro is as dedicated a player as I have come across, always working on his craft, always working at everything. Maro always knows the best way for him to lead is by actions, lots of important actions, and he has done that for years,” he added.
“Jamie has been a brilliant captain for his country and when you get news like that, there is always going to be different emotions and disappointment is an obvious one, especially when you hear it less than 24 hours before it is announced and it takes you a little bit by surprise. When there is surprise there is always disappointment as well,” said McCall.
England start their 2025 Six Nations campaign against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, February 1 and will be keen to improve on last year’s third-placed finish.
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A possible reason for George relinquishing the armband ahead of the Six Nations is that his starting shirt is under threat, with Itoje tending to play the full match.
“We are very proud that… three players who have come through our academy and been at the club since they were 14 or 15 years old have gone on to become consecutive England captains.
Proud of leaders
“While they have been here they have been able to rub shoulders with a lot of really wise senior players. All three of them were open to learning. They were part of the leadership development programme run by David Jones. He is very much under the radar, but they have all benefited.”
Steve Borthwick‘s bold decision sees George drop to one of England‘s two vice-captains as Itoje will become the 136th player to captain the men’s national outfit.
While McCall was clearly disappointed for his hooker, he did praise second-row Itoje and the club for how they have moulded their leaders over the past 15 years.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall revealed George was told of the news one day before the announcement, which has been viewed as harsh by some fans.
