It is an irony of rugby union that the captain of a team, tasked with engaging officials in delicate conversations that can shape any given game, is often one of the players pushing their luck the most.
Richie McCaw, the All Blacks icon who infuriated opponents and was said to don an invisibility cloak around the breakdown, is probably the best case study. The appointment of Maro Itoje as England captain sets up another disruptor-diplomat dynamic. And many believe it could benefit the team over this Six Nations and beyond.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has insinuated that a lack of endurance was the major reason for deposing Jamie George, with the veteran hooker coming off before the hour mark in each of his past nine Tests. But negotiation skills may have been another significant factor.
“His demeanour is actually really quiet and really calm,” said one Test referee of Itoje. “He doesn’t really challenge you but he’ll ask questions and get his point across, and I think that will be really good for England.
“When the game’s going on, he’s passionate. When it comes to having a conversation, he’s quiet and calm and asks questions in a respectful manner. We might not always agree, but I’ve always found him to be very respectful and have never had an issue with him.
“Ardie Savea is very similar; very calm in what he says. Siya Kolisi is similar as well: in the thick of it but then very respectful. You’d compare Maro to those two.”
Another international official described England’s new figurehead as “very softly spoken”, which will differ from both his immediate predecessors in the job.
“Maro will deal with his players, then push them away and come and speak to referees, creating a little bit of space. Owen [Farrell] wouldn’t necessarily do that first bit. He’d come straight for you.”
There was a suggestion that George could become embroiled in the intensity of a match, hindering communication: “If you lost Jamie, you’d never get him back. I think Maro is more pragmatic.”
On the border of legality
Itoje captained England Under-20 to a World Championship in 2014, his side ousting a Baby Boks side captained by Handre Pollard in the final. Many earmarked him for leadership roles from there, and he did lead Saracens to an LV Cup triumph the following season.
Eddie Jones famously thought Itoje too insular for that responsibility. Indeed, the youngster was explicitly anointed as chief agitator after his debut in 2016. Risk, reward and referees have never been far from discussion of his performances and bare statistics tell a remarkably consistent story in that regard.
Across 94 Tests for England and the British and Irish Lions since emerging nine years ago, Itoje has won 112 turnovers and conceded 116 penalties according to Stats Perform. Add in 28 line-out steals and he is well in credit, but the figures illustrate a player dancing on the border of legality and often overbalancing.
During the series against New Zealand in July, for example, Itoje forced two turnovers and nabbed a line-out in Dunedin. A week later, he was collared for five infringements, registering one turnover and another set-piece steal. Final score: six instances of winning back possession counterbalanced by five penalties.
These numbers do not tell the entire story, because Itoje’s game has more dimensions, such as line-out calling and clearing rucks, and is about ripple effects. He may rush a rival scrum-half into a poor pass, for instance. This would not show up on many spreadsheets. Itoje has only received a single yellow card for England, in an autumn defeat of South Africa in 2018. This would surprise many critics.
Tadhg Beirne offers a useful comparison. One of the forwards England face this weekend, he has produced a total of 65 turnovers and line-out steals in 59 Tests for Ireland and the Lions. In the process, Beirne has conceded 35 penalties: a cleaner rate of 0.77 per 80 minutes to Itoje’s 1.26. However, he is marginally less disruptive, claiming 1.1 turnovers per 80 minutes to Itoje’s mark of 1.22.
One source explained that referees prepare to officiate Itoje as they do crafty, scavenging back-rowers such as Caelan Doris. “Sometimes he’ll get penalised, but he also makes unbelievable turnovers and unbelievable stops in that area. For us, it’s a case of knowing what is coming and pre-empting it, perhaps by having conversations with coaches in the week.”
It is not the case that referees review footage and curse themselves for being duped by Itoje, though they know to be extra vigilant.
“It’s more things like, for example, at line-outs, Maro has tended to spin back lifters around to make it look like obstruction,” added a Test referee.
“He’s very clever and that’s perfectly legal. You’ve just got to know that he might do that. I’ve never gone into a changing room before a game and gone, ‘Maro, don’t do this’. It’s always more of a generic message to a team.”
‘Maro picks his moments’
How Itoje responds to the captaincy will be a fascinating strand of England’s tournament. If his displays as Saracens captain are anything to go by, he will not be timid. Matthew Carley sent him to the sin-bin in the recent victory over Bristol Bears for committing three offences in the same sequence close to his own try line. Law tweaks may help him out as well.
“If I was preparing for Maro in a game where the line-out was going to be set up quickly [with the new 30-second countdowns], I’d be mindful that he plays around with the gap,” added an official.
“He’s been free-kicked in the past for closing it and referees will be under pressure to set up these line-outs quickly. He might try it on to take the tempo out of games, because England don’t necessarily do well when the pace is high.
“With the throw not having to be straight if it is uncontested, I think a lot of teams will try to load the maul. That could play into Maro’s hands, because he’s really good at getting into that ‘seam’ between the lifter and the jumper. He and Joe Launchbury, who in his pomp was the best in the world, are excellent at that.
“The maul set-up from the attack will be under more scrutiny, which will mean that referees will be really hot on ‘double-banking’ [lifters block defenders as maul forms]. That could give Maro an opportunity.”
Harassing scrum-halves has been a hallmark for Itoje, which may be mitigated by a change in breakdown laws that has outlawed defenders reaching through rucks to grab opponents. As ever, this is a double-edged sword. Opportunism is the name of the game.
“What Maro is good at is picking moments,” said a source. “He doesn’t jackal that often, but I reckon his success on jackal attempts would be quite high. The law about giving scrum-halves space will take an element of his game away, but also, potentially, lessen his penalty count.”
England must be smarter generally and Itoje’s first assignment as captain comes in Dublin against an Ireland team aiming for a third consecutive Six Nations title. He will have to toe the line between fiery competitiveness and cool interaction, chatting to referees during breaks in a raging contest.
Those to have blown the whistle regard him as the right man for a unique job.
