Itoje stands up for Eddie Jones

England lock Maro Itoje has come out in defence of England head coach Eddie Jones after a disappointing 2021 Six Nations campaign which saw the Roses finish fifth on the overall standings after hoisting the trophy in 2020.

Jones’ charges yesterday fell to a spirited Irish outfit in Dublin – a final score line of 32-18 illustrating the dominance that the latter held on proceedings. Despite falling a long way since 2020, England lock, Maro Itoje remains steadfast in his loyalty to Jones.

"Eddie is a fantastic coach. He's one of the best coaches I've worked with. His work rate, his knowledge, his feeling with the players, the way he goes about his business are genuinely second to none," Itoje said.

"As players, we need to be accountable for our behaviours. At the end of the day, Eddie can't play the game for us.

"The players need to be accountable and if you ask any player who has been under Eddie, I doubt anyone will say differently. He's a truly special coach.

"As players we need to grab hold of it and take ownership of our actions. We're disappointed because we know that as a team we're capable of so much more.

"It's just on us. I don't have any excuses here, we just weren't good enough. We're a team that can do so much more, but we didn't show that."

"It will make us stronger and more robust, but at the moment we have to be accountable for our performances," said Itoje.

"In terms of what I believe this team can do and what this team can achieve, nothing has changed. I truly believe that we've got something here.

"We're not displaying the best of the team at the moment, but I genuinely believe we've got one of the best coaches in the world.

"I do believe we are going somewhere but we have to recover and take our medicine from this Six Nations."