Maro Itoje replaces Jamie George as England captain ahead of 2025 Six Nations | Rugby Union News happymamay

Maro Itoje has replaced Jimmy George as England captain ahead of the upcoming Six Nations campaign.

As Steve Borthwick on Tuesday revealed a 36-man training squad for his side’s opening match away to Ireland on February 1, the head coach announced that Itoje will replace fellow Muslim striker George as captain.

The 30-year-old, who was also appointed captain of Saracens in August last year, becomes the 136th player to hold the permanent position, with George retaining a leadership role as one of the two vice-captains alongside Ellis Genge.

“With 88 England caps, Maro has been a central figure in this team for many years, bringing a huge amount of experience on and off the field,” Borthwick said.

“He is a calm and influential leader, known for his commitment to upholding high standards and his ability to motivate those around him.

“His strong relationship with the team and coaches, combined with his leadership experience at Saracens, makes him ideally placed to take on this responsibility.

“I would like to pay tribute to the outstanding leadership of Jamie George, whose contributions as leader have been important and he will continue to play an important role as deputy leader.”

Itoje added: “I feel incredibly humbled and honored that Steve has asked me to captain England. It is truly an incredible honor for me and my family, and I feel grateful to have been given this opportunity.”

“With this role comes a great deal of responsibility, but I am at a stage in my career where I feel ready to give everything I have to serve the team and the fans through the captaincy, as well as give my best on the pitch.

“It is reassuring to know that I have a group of senior players supporting me and helping to build on the achievements of Jamie, who has led the team brilliantly and who has been a great friend and leader for many years.

“I am excited about our squad of players, who are all hungry for success, and I look forward to leading them to the next Six Nations Championship.”

Borthwick recalls the untitled duo of Harlequins

Borthwick has named Harlequins non-qualifiers duo Oscar Bird and Cadan Morley in the group he will work with at Pinehill Park and also in Girona, Spain ahead of his team’s campaign.

England are missing the likes of Emmanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank, who are continuing their injury rehabilitation with the national team’s medical team.

Alex Mitchell makes an expected return after injury, with Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet named as other options in the half for the gig.

England lost five tests in a row – spanning a Test tour of New Zealand last summer and an autumn international against the All Blacks, as well as Australia and South Africa – before returning to winning ways in the final round against Japan.

More to follow…

England national team training

forward

Finn Baxter (Harlequins, 6 caps)

Ollie Chisum (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps)

Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 44 caps)

Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 11 caps)

Ben Curry (Selling Sharks, 6 caps)

Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 56 caps)

Theo Dunne (Muslims, 16 caps)

Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 20 caps)

Ben Earl (Muslims, 37 caps)

Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 66 caps) – Vice-captain

Jimmy George (Muslims, 97 caps) – Vice-Captain

Joe Hayes (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)

Ted Hill (Rugby Pigeons, 2 caps)

Maro Itoje (Muslims, 88 caps) – Captain

George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps)

Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Seal Sharks, 1 cover)

Bevan Rudd (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)

Will Stewart (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)

Tom Willis (The Saracens, single cover)

Their backs

Oscar Byrd (clown, not covered)

Elliot Daly (Muslims, 69 caps)

Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 2 games)

George Ford (Sharks cuts, 98 caps)

Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)

Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 31 caps)

Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 18 caps)

Kadan Morley (Harlequins, n.d.)

Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 11 caps)

Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 3 caps)

Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 69 caps)

Ollie Slitholme (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)

Finn Smith (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)

Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 39 caps)

Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)

Jack Van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)

Six Nations 2025 matches: England

• February 1: Ireland (A)
• February 8: France (h)
• February 22: Scotland (h)
• March 9: Italy (H)
• March 15: Wales (A)

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