Men\'s Health UK - 10.2019

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116kg

WEIGHT

Ever since his England debut at

the age of 21, Maro Itoje has made

men’s rugby look like child’s play.

Here’s what makes him unique

GRAB EVERY

OPPORTUNITY

BY THE BALLS

I

toje is not your average

rugby player. He’s too

smart for that. He arrives

at the Men’s Health cover

shoot clutching a history book.

“It’s about the Nigerian civil

war,” he explains. “It was a

crucial period, because it was

the first time that cameras

could document

the atrocities.” It’s

this wide-ranging

curiosity that the

lock-cum-flanker

credits with taking

the pressure off his

high-performance

career, while also

helping him to

maintain his passion

for his sport. “It’s

definitely good

to diversify your

interests. It keeps things fresh

in your mind,” he says.

Clearing his head off the

field allows for maximum

intensity when the whistle

goes – as Itoje’s old England

teammate James Haskell

found out in their first

encounter. “Maro just folded

me up sideways, threw me

on the floor, stole the ball and

trod on my head,” the 6ft 3in,

118kg former flanker once said.

This no-nonsense attitude

to his craft is a crucial factor

in Itoje’s rapid rise to the top.

Well, almost the top.

Whether Itoje will reach

rugby’s summit will soon

be revealed in next month’s

World Cup, and he is doing all

he can to prepare for the most

important months of his career.

“Every player has weaknesses,

and the coaches tailor

programmes to target them,” he

says. Mental strength is also

under the microscope. “Rugby

is a game of momentum. When

it’s against you, you need to

wrest it back. You need the

clarity of mind to get out of

that rut.” The coaches test this

by physically exhausting the

players in training, then forcing

them to make critical decisions

on game management.

With his body and mind

primed, Itoje seems relaxed.

England expects, but there’s

no sign that it’s weighing

him down. All that remains

is to get out of his way.

He’ll handle the rest.

SUPER MARO

Double Six Nations

champion with

England and triple

Champions Cup

winner at Saracens.

@maroitoje

HOW I

BUILT MY

BODY

26 MEN’S HEALTH

WORDS: TED LANE | PHOTOGRAPHY: HAMISH BROWN | STYLING: HAYLEY LAWRENCE