Maro Itoje’s cheeky tactic caught on camera as England captain plays dirty vs France | Rugby | Sport
Maro Itoje’s cheeky tactic might just have helped England to a historic Six Nations win over France at Twickenham on Saturday night.
England trailed for most of the contest with it looking as if the Red Rose would succumb to a second defeat from two Six Nations matches this year.
However, with the clock hurtling towards 80 minutes, Steve Borthwick’s side earned a scrum penalty deep inside the French half, with a fleeting move straight off the training ground leading to Elliot Daly driving the ball home for a try.
Player of the Match Fin Smith stepped up to convert the try and with next to no time left on the clock, victory was England’s.
It proved a surprise win for England against the Six Nations Championship contenders and one that thrusts Borthwick’s side into contention after two weekends of action.
But it also marked the first Test match win of Itoje’s reign as captain, with the new England skipper going to all manner of lengths to ensure his side took home the victory… including throwing away an opponent’s boot.
As spotted by the BBC Sport social media team, Itoje was seen lobbing the boot of French winger Damian Penaud after he pulled it off during a first-half tackle.
While it was unlikely to have made a major difference to the scoreline in west London, it’s an indication of Itoje’s commitment to the cause, with the England captain claiming Saturday’s victory was a vindication for his team’s hard work over a difficult 18-month spell.
Speaking after the 26-25 triumph, he said: “Steve [borthwick] told the group to be ambitious and brave and to go out and score tries. Our backs were incredibly brave and ambitious and they took their opportunities where on other days we might have taken the conservative option.
“The ambition and mindset was to go after the win. We knew we needed a score and credit to the boys. They were brave and were wanting to go after France. I’m very happy we were able to do it.”
It’s a result that has given England an outside chance at Six Nations victory, with the Red Rose set to face Scotland next at Twickenham.
That match will come after the one-week break in proceedings, with Italy the visitors to the capital in the following match.
England’s final Six Nations match of 2025 comes in Cardiff against a struggling Welsh side.
