Maro Itoje’s triumph: Why he’s the man of the moment

When all 6ft 5 of Maro Itoje walks into the changing room of his old school, Harrow, it’s hard to envision him as a 17-year-old swapping match reports and holding team talks with his peers.

More than a decade of England rugby camps on and he has a marginally bigger frame.

But in spite of his altered physique, and 14 years since he last hung up his jersey in this quintessential, brown-tiled school changing room, Itoje looks right at home.

This is where it all began for him. Well, almost. He developed his rugby talent at St George’s School in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and this sporting prowess caught the eye of the prestigious north London school.

In 2009, he was awarded a sports scholarship, which is when his already soaring rugby career went stratospheric.

And 2025 could probably be described as the year that he reached his pinnacle. He was awarded 100 caps for England this year, something he says is a testament to his “hard work, as well as great teammates and coaches”.

He was also officially named captain of the British & Irish Lions for their Australia tour in May – a role widely regarded as one of the highest honours in rugby union; and whereby the visitors took a 2-1 victory over the Wallabees.

“There’s not many people who get that opportunity so for it to come my way was just an absolute honour,” he says. “I was very happy to do the job.”

Itoje’s leadership journey has been building steadily, though.

He led the England U20s team for the 2013-2014 season; and after taking over the Saracens captaincy last summer, Itoje went on to skipper the England squad during the 2025 Six Nations, whereby the Calcutta Cup returned to England after a four year hiatus with the Scots, and England positioned a respectable second to a destructive French team.

“I lead by action I think that the best leaders do”

Maro Itoje, Vitality Ambassador

That tournament set the tone for a remarkable 2025: under Itoje’s influence, England swept the Autumn Internationals with statement wins over Australia (25-7), Fiji (38-18) and a historic 33-19 triumph against New Zealand at Twickenham — their first home victory over the All Blacks in 13 years.

They capped the series with a 27-23 win against Argentina, completing an 11-match unbeaten run and finishing the year undefeated on home soil. 

And Itoje’s calm authority and a leadership style grounded in inclusivity and purpose has been central to this resurgence, marking him as a cornerstone of England’s revival.

“My [leadership] style is to try and be as collaborative as possible,” says Itoje. “I try and work with the people that I’m performing with and to help everyone get the best out of the team and, ultimately, that’s what’s important at the end of the day.

“I lead by action, I think that the best leaders do because if your performance drops, everything else loses legitimacy.”

Maro Itoje and Ellie Simmonds get active for their mental health 

Maro the role model

There’s no denying, Itoje is a cool guy. He’s fronted a plethora of glossy magazines from Men’s Health to Tatler and British Vogue – even the Vitality Magazine as a fresh-faced Ambassador in 2017.

But above all else, he’s a family man. When asked who his role models are, the first people he named without missing a beat were his parents.

“I come from a Nigerian family and they have been incredibly supportive throughout my career – they have been amazing.”

And it’s this sense of identity that has kept him so unapologetically himself, no matter the dizzying heights his career reaches.

“One tries to have a strong identity and one tries to have a strong grounding of who they are and know what their values are, what you are and are not comfortable doing.

Once you are able to do that, once you know that, everything else flows. That’s how I see it.” He adds, poetically: “We are all unique, wonderful individuals and we should all be free to express that.”

Others mentioned bring out the multi-facets of his personality. They range from political figures – a topic Itoje is particularly interested in, he even made an appearance on The Rest is Politics podcast in September (where he was described as “symbol of hope” to Muhammad Ali, the late Kobe Bryant and – as an Arsenal fan – Patrick Vieira, who played for the squad from 1996 to 2005.

But as his brand grows to become, you could say, a household name, does he feel the pressure or expectation to be a good role model? Probably natural, right? Wrong.

There’s little that makes this cool guy sweat. “I don’t necessarily feel pressure, I think it’s important that I try as much as possible to lead by example,” he explains.

“It’s a part of how I carry myself and that I set a good example to myself as well as everyone else.

“It’s good for people to have those who they respect and look up to, it provides a path for aspirations, it provides a path of reassurance and guidance.”

Who’s doing that for him these days? Nothing beats family; heritage and family are the watchwords of this 31-year-old.

Maro the family man

Alongside the previous aforementioned differences in Itoje, on this visit to Harrow is the addition of his wedding band.

In June, he tied the knot with long-term partner Mimi, in a private (and sensational, might I add) wedding with family and friends, followed by a traditional Nigerian ceremony. Head to their Instagram handles to see the full-scale glam.

His actual wedding band, however, is less glam. No flash piece of bling for this full-time ruggers player, he’s donning a rubber band. Why? I ask. 100 caps apparently isn’t enough for him to consider the ‘R’ word.

“Hopefully we’ll start a family in a few years”

Maro Itoje, Vitality Ambassador

The rubber band means that when he does (eventually) retire, he knows the size of ring he will need. In the meantime, he’s happy to fiddle and twiddle with his gold rubber wedding band until he has the real deal.

But how many years will he wait before he gets a permanent fixture? There’s no sign of that just yet.

“There are loads of things to be excited about. The teams I play in are incredibly exciting, the desire to be a part of great teams is still there and there is still so much for us to achieve from an England point of view, as well as Saracens point of view.

“The future is so bright and I want to be a part of winning teams and teams that can go out and do special things.”

Off the pitch, he and Mimi – who scored the number two spot on Tatler’s Social Power Index 2025, only behind the Prince & Princess of Wales – have plans to grow their very own team.

“Hopefully, we’ll start a family in a few years”. But until then, he’s busy helping disadvantaged children with his charity organisation, The Pearl Fund.

What started out in Nigeria has come closer to home in London and is providing school meals and extra tuition to disadvantaged children. “The programme is growing and we are extremely excited.”

In the meantime, as another England camp awaits, during a year that will be his most revered – for now – his current priority? Stretching and reading... he gives a little chortle. “Those are the two things I’m trying to focus on and I hope this year will be a big step forward in that regard.”

What a 2025 it is turning out to be.

Related: Maro Itoje on art, activism and breaking the poverty cycle