Alex Sanderson backs Maro Itoje to take on the world

Maro Itoje may play down talk of appearing at next year’s World Cup but according to Alex Sanderson he is on a fast-track to rugby‘s summit.
The Saracens forwards coach describes the imposing lock-cum-flanker as “a future England captain” and a potential RWC2015 bolter.
Itoje, who led England U20s to Junior World Cup success in June, has just one Premiership appearance to his name but enhanced his burgeoning reputation last weekend by leading Saracens to LV= Cup success over Harlequins.
Captaining a side of experienced campaigners such as Jacques Burger, Jim Hamilton and Ernst Joubert was no mean feat, prompting Sanderson to identify Itoje as a Sarries regular by Christmas.
Sanderson told The Rugby Paper: “Physically, you forget Maro’s only just 20 because he’s actually dominating men who’ve been in the game seven or eight years. The mind boggles over where he’ll be in five years with another 10kgs on him.
“There are aspects of his game that he’s brilliant at in terms of his aerial dexterity, ball-carrying work and physicality in defence. That aside, he’s a smart lad, a great leader and a really nice fellow, too, so he’s got a lot going for him.
“Who knows how far he’ll go but you’d have to see him as a future England captain.
“He’s an outside dark horse for next year’s World Cup, too, although he’ll have to break into our first team first. But I’m sure he’ll do that sometime around Christmas or just after and he’s as good as any forward I’ve seen at the age of 20.
“Having played with Andrew Sheridan and a lot of big, physical guys, they’ve got nothing on Maro. He’s one of the strongest guys in the gym.”
For his part, Itoje is happy to bide his time. A straight-A student, he currently combines rugby with studying for a politics degree at London’s School of Oriental and African studies.
He takes any plaudits in his stride but senses this could be a breakthrough season, telling TRP: “The last few months have been surreal but I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It was an honour to captain Saracens last weekend. To do it with such experienced players alongside added some pressure, but guys like Jacques Burger and Mo Botha helped me through and made the transition so much easier.
“As a young person you have to earn their respect and, hopefully, I did that through my efforts.”
Itoje cites England’s Tom Croft and French back-rower Imanol Harinordoquy among players he admires, although being equally at ease in the second row means he could soon be applying pressure to the likes of Courtney Lawes.
“I’ve got to break into the Saracens first team before I start thinking of stuff like that,” Itoje said.
“There’s a mixture of locks and back rows I look up to. Tom Croft’s one of the best blindsides in the world and Harinordoquy is a top player, while all England’s EPS locks are top hitters – Launchbury, Lawes, Kruis and Attwood.”
Itoje is being mentored by England’s imperious World Cup-winning blindside Richard Hill, but is open-minded over his long-term position.
“I feel comfortable in both roles and wherever I can get first team exposure I’ll be happy with,” he said. “I’ve had more experience in the second row but I’m comfortable at six.
“I’ve got a great mentor in Richard Hill who knows what he’s saying and just tells me to work hard whilst helping me with aspects of my game and things I need to work on.
“If I can achieve half as much as he did in the game I think it’ll be really good.”
Sanderson believes there are no limits to what Itoje can achieve. He added: “We want to bring him in at the right time but in every game I’ve seen he’s excelled.
“You’ve got to give him the opportunity to play and there’s no limit if he keeps progressing.”
NEALE HARVEY