With Saracens being knocked out of the European Champions Cup Semi Final on Saturday, they can certainly hold their heads high with a valiant performance from everyone involved. In the end however, Clermont were just too strong.
Maro Itoje has been on the radar of many in the rugby world for a fair few months now, and on Saturday he proved why. A mature performance from the strong and dynamic young man. Since his breakthrough towards the end of last season Itoje has performed consistently when given the opportunity, standing at 6 feet 5 inches and edging towards 120 KG’s he is certainly a figure you wouldn’t miss in a large crowd.
A versatile forward, he can play lock or in the back row and has played in both positions for Saracens this season. Many would argue that because of Itoje’s size he is better suited to the lock position, but the young man has proved his athleticism time and again to show he is a more than capable back rower.
It all started for Maro Itoje with his Premiership debut at the back end of last season, then going onto to captain and help his England U20 side win the final of the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. He has continued that form into this season captaining a victorious Saracens “A” league side and also captaining the winning Saracens LV cup side. This is almost unheard of for such a young player, but he seems to possess the maturity and leadership required to lead at such a tender age. This is proven with the two cup wins, and furthermore he seems to have the respect of his team mates. On top of that, he also came on as a replacement for England Saxons against the Irish Wolfhounds at an early stage due to an injury and looked more than capable of playing at International level.
He has recently signed a new contract with Saracens, and looks set to prosper in the environment over the coming years. He is tipped for greatness, and seems to get better with every performance for club and Country; the potential of the young man is exciting many people including myself.
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