News about Maro Itoje

NIK SIMON AT ASHTON GATE: If Saracens do go on to win the Premiership this season, perhaps they will hang one of their medals off the fish tank at their clubhouse in St Albans. The team's two goldfish were key figures in this victory - featuring heavily in their 'goldfish memory' narrative borrowed from Ted Lasso. They watched clips from the uplifting drama about a struggling American soccer coach in the build-up and vowed to move on from events of the past few weeks. Forget the victory over Bath, forget about Billy Vunipola getting tasered on a social in Mallorca and focus on making the play-offs. And so they did, beating Bristol to move into second. Just like Manchester City, Saracens have a knack of winning games towards the end of the season. Just like Pep Guardiola, Mark McCall finds a way to bring the best out of their players when it matters.

ALEX BYWATER: Ollie Chessum will miss England's crucial tour matches with New Zealand this summer after underdoing successful surgery on a shoulder injury. The Leicester Tigers forward - who can play at both lock and blindside flanker - has emerged as a key figure for club and country since making his international debut in the 2022 Six Nations.

Twickenham rocked to a different beat on Monday night as the home of English rugby celebrated the contribution those from the black and ethnic minority communities make to the country's game. 'It's a real privilege to be involved in the broader rugby landscape,' said Sagan Daniels, the founder of The Rugby Black List. 'I've always loved the game and I loved playing it. 'I love the community feel you get from it, but it needed an understanding that it wasn't just a Barbour-wearing, Guinness-swigging thing. It was for all echelons of British society.'

ALEX BYWATER: Maro Itoje (left) has been cleared by a disciplinary panel for a dangerous tackle on Bath's Alfie Barbeary during last week's Gallagher Premiership victory. The decorated second row is available for Saracens' final two games of the regular Premiership season with Bristol and Sale and a likely play-off semi-final. As one of Saracens' most important figures, Itoje's avoidance of a suspension can only be considered a huge boost for Mark McCall's side as they look to defend the Premiership title they won in 2023.

Vunipola's (left) career was plunged into doubt on Monday as he flew home from a Saracens trip to Europe after being Tasered by police for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. The 31-year-old England No 8 arrived at Stansted Airport with team-mates amid a club investigation into the events which led to him being tasered twice in a bar in Palma in the early hours of Sunday. A drunk, shirtless Vunipola was restrained and taken to hospital, where he had to be strapped to a bed.

Vunipolawas seen with his hands in his pockets as he walked through Stansted Airport this afternoon before being greeted by fellow England and Saracens stars Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly. The group then left together. The 31-year-old is understood to have been in a self-imposed teetotal phase since August, 2022, to fully commit to regaining peak form on the field. He had chosen to abstain after returning from the national team's tour of Australia that summer, when he had managed to force his way back into the Red Rose line-up and contribute to a 2-1 series victory over the Wallabies .

Second-placed Bath clash with defending champions Saracens in a crunch Premiership Rugby contest on Friday. Both teams enter this fixture off the back of a win last weekend, with Bath getting the better of Exeter 26-14 and Saracens comfortably defeating Gloucester 46-24. Despite being at home and sitting above them in the table, Bath are 11/10 outsiders to come away with the win according to Sky Bet.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has urged the RFU to finalise their new hybrid contracts system for England players as an urgent priority, amid concerns about a lack of progress. As revealed by Mail Sport last week, there is a growing sense of unease in the domestic game about a continuing lack of clarity in relation to the roll-out of the union-funded deals. In theory, up to 25 players nominated by national coach Steve Borthwick will be offered contracts worth £150,000 per year as a means of enhancing the England's management's control of their key men - and also ward off the threat of further defections to France. However, multiple sources raised the alarm to Mail Sport about a lack of official updates and suspicions that the scheme could be diluted or even abandoned. Two Saracens players - England captain Jamie George and talismanic lock Maro Itoje - are supposed to be the first recipients of hybrid deals, but McCall confirmed that these are yet to be fully finalised.

LEWIS STEELE: Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has teamed up with Formula One drivers and rugby union stars by being part of an investment group to the tune of £43million (€50m) for sports-related technology and entertainment. The fund will invest in plenty of start-ups in the sports sector and the portfolio already includes a tailored nutrition platform for athletes, a virtual reality sports firm; a performance analysis tool and smart-court technology. Gakpo is joined in putting forward £43m cumulatively with business partners including five-time Champions League winner Marcelo, former world cycling champion Mark Cavendish and England rugby union skipper Maro Itoje.

England players and their clubs are growing increasingly concerned by delays and doubts about the RFU's much-trumpeted hybrid contract scheme, amid fears that it may be scaled back or even abandoned. The union are supposed to be rolling out new 'enhanced EPS' deals in the summer, as part of a wide-ranging Professional Game Partnership with the clubs, but a lack of evident progress is causing alarm within the domestic game and among members of the Red Rose squad. To date, only England captain Jamie George and Saracens team-mate Maro Itoje have signed up for hybrid deals and it is understood that the agreement letter merely outlines the financial terms if the scheme goes ahead. In theory, national coach Steve Borthwick should be able to nominate up to 25 players who he wants to be included within a core group who will come under greater England management control in return for a fixed sum of £150,000 which will top up their club salary. But sources have indicated to Mail Sport that other recent starters in the Test XV who are in contract talks with their clubs have not received any clarity from the RFU about the hybrid scheme.

SIMON AT STADE CHABAN-DELMAS: It seemed as if Saracens were reduced to a barrel of crushed grapes in this vibrant wine-making region. As their European campaign, the last of the Owen Farrell era, came to an end with one of their most painful losses. Tom Willis scored a consolation pass in the game's final play, but Alex Goode let the clock run out so the referee would blow the final whistle. Sarries had suffered enough. At the end of this season, a prominent generation comes to an end, and it was sad to say goodbye. Bordeaux was notably superior. Mako Vunipola was slumped in the second half after being disappointed with the French hosts' attempts.

After Mark McCall's men revealed the signing of Owen Farrell's replacement, Maro Itoje is expected to recover from a minor knee injury for Saracens' tense Champions Cup showdown with Bordeaux. Itoje did not attend Harlequins' hammering and embarrassing loss by Northampton due to a health condition that had preceded him from playing a lot in England's Six Nations campaign. However, the second row - a key figure for Saracens' rugby McCall - is back in action and is expected to kick off his team's last-16 Investec Champions Cup trip to France on Saturday.

Maro Itoje is recovering from a minor knee injury from his Six Nations service, so he is unlikely to play for Saracens in Friday night's Premiership match against Northampton. Despite the fact that the second row has passed over the upper limit of game minutes for this season, England boss Mark McCall has expressed no worries about the England superstar's wellbeing. Itoje, who is one of his club and country's most influential players, does a lot of work.

CHRIS FOY: Repeat it now. That's the difficult part. Following scaling the heights to surprise Ireland last Saturday, England is on a twin-peaks crusade that doubles as a revenge mission. After being written off after losing to Scotland at Murrayfield seven days ago, coach Steve Borthwick's staff displayed simmering, dazzling defiance to ambush the Six Nations champions at Twickenham. Now, the emphasis on the final weekend of the championship is different. This is all about payback and restitution. It's been 12 months since France arrived in south-west London and condemned their cross-Channel rivals to a humiliating 53-10 loss. It was not so much Le Crunch as Le Crash that it was. Fabien Galthie's side had a blast on England's home turf. The hosts were both exhilarating and humiliating.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: It's a long shot, but England will still win the 2024 Six Nations with a victory away from France on Saturday night as long as Ireland is defeated at home by Scotland. Steve Borthwick and his teammates will know the outcome from Dublin by the time they take to the field in Lyon. Whatever happens, England must play as if the Championship is on target. That is the attitude I would have taken this week if I had been in Borthwick's shoes as head coach. If Ireland defeats Scotland and win the title, it will be well done. That's out of England's hands.

Roc Nation, the talent company established by singer Jay-Z's family, is continuing to expand its pool of talent, having signed Jacob Neptune and Samuel Lusale, two of the most promising next generation's football stars. The company has a long list of celebrities from sport, including Vinicius Jr. and Kevin De Bruyne. Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje and Siya Kolisi have all joined the team, as well as musicians Rihanna and Alicia Keys. Neptune, 16, now plays as a central defender for Reading, while Samuel, who is also 16, plays on Crystal Palace's wing.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England's victory over Ireland at Twickenham was a major step in Steve Borthwick's and the team's progress. They were playing with purpose and passion. It's much simpler to be brutal on your team on the back of a win, and even more so if you've played so well. Borthwick will have to do this week if Ireland loses to France in Lyon, and that will mean little if Ireland loses to France.

I had no idea I'd say this about an England team playing at Twickenham. However, winning in the Six Nations Championships against back-to-back Grand Slam-chasing Ireland on Saturday isn't about winning. It's all about being ultra-competitive against what is arguably the best team in the country right now. It pains me to say it, but England does need a minor miracle to win this game. I have been wrestling with this all week because I have never felt this way about England before. The fact that Ireland is supposed to win says a lot about how good they are, but also much about England's fall from grace.

CHRIS FOY: England seems to have crossed the road as they brace for a showdown with Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday. They have reached a difficult junction, in fact, all the lights are off, and they don't have a map. When Steve Borthwick took over the national team in December 2022, the buzz word was 'clarity,' and that was achieved with a narrow game-plan at the new World Cup.

CHRIS FOY: The investigation and repair work will be comprehensive, no doubt, but after this tragedy at Murrayfield, it is impossible to imagine how England will find quick fixes before Ireland visits Twickenham with another Slam in their sights. Well, this latest loss to Scotland has ended their Six Nations title hopes, ironically. They are stumbling toward a potential campaign win of two wins from five games, which is disappointing. Explicity once more. That is perhaps an inaccurate prediction, but the Irish people will believe that England will be on the field for the taking on March 9, even if they don't have 15 guys on the field this week - and France will be marginal favorites in Lyon a week later, despite their own unconvincing results in this tournament.

On Wednesday, England will reconvene in York and hold an urgent inquiry into how their Six Nations campaign was derailed by a outbreak of 'hot potato rugby' at Murrayfield. Steve Borthwick's national squad is having two days off before assembling in unfamiliar northern surroundings to tackle the recurring failures that resulted in a humiliating 30-21 loss to Scotland. In Edinburgh's fourth straight Calcutta Cup loss, the head coach would want an explanation from his players about why they went so far from the agreed script - and Saracens lock Maro Itoje was left befuddled by the circumstance.

England has lost four times in a row since 1896 after losing Edinburgh. To me, this is a big statistic and one that must make English rugby sit up and take note of the country's decline from grace. England should not be losing to anyone four years in a row. That's not to say that Scotland is not to be taken away from Scotland. England is now abundantly clear from recent reports between the two teams' findings that England is a long way behind Scotland.

SIMON AT MURRAYFIELD: Steve Borthwick stepped out of the safety of his coaching box and gazed forward with arms folded in Edinburgh's final minute, in close proximity to the audience. Every Scottish fan had a chance to goad him one by one. After watching his team suffer a slow torture in a bed of thistles, they erupted sarcastically, cheering and thanks for arriving. England put on a show that lacked intelligence and a sense of urgency. After an error, aimless kick after a goalless kick, there was a mistake. This is the first time England has lost four straight Calcutta Cup games since 1896, and the ardent Scottish supporters are already yelling for their opponents to be booted out of the Six Nations. Tongue in cheek, of course, because they will sorely miss their annual triumph over the Auld Enemy.

The Lions lock was superb in the tense 16-14 victory, when England came from a nine-point deficit at halftime to win for the second straight time. The only unbeaten teams on earth are England and Ireland, while Itoje outlined a mood of hope. England had lost the opener in the previous three years, but Itoje said, 'It's a different situation for us and we have a little bit of energy.'