‘Deeply emotional & very sad’ – Itoje on mother’s funeral and England return

Captain Maro Itoje says he has endured an “incredibly sad, incredibly emotional” time as he prepares to start for England for the first time since the death of his mother Florence.

The 31-year-old travelled to Nigeria, where his parents are originally from, for the funeral and started the win against Wales on the bench after joining up late with England’s Six Nations training camp.

He is back in the second row for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match against Scotland – a match in which he will win his 99th cap for England.

“It’s been incredibly sad, incredibly emotional, but, all in all, I’m OK and taking each day as it comes,” Itoje told Rugby Union Weekly.

“Those couple of weeks were just a bit of a whirlwind, going to Nigeria.

“My family are from Delta State [a region in the south of Nigeria] so we had to catch another flight from Lagos to Warri, then we drove to the town where my family originate from.

Florence was an ever-present sight on the sidelines of her son’s matches, having been converted into a rugby fan by her son’s prowess and progress.

“I remember when I was maybe 15 or 16, I got a call from my academy manager at Saracens telling me they needed me to train with the first team,” Itoje, who read a bible passage at Florence’s funeral in Eku, remembered.

“I was so excited, it was like I had won a million pounds. I ran up the stairs. My mum was on the phone, and I told her.

“She looked at me like ‘is that meant to be a good thing?’.

“But she then became the biggest rugby fan. She would go up and down the country and all around the world. There’s no tour that I’ve been on that she hasn’t been on.

“Whether it’s South Africa, whether it’s Australia, whether it’s New Zealand, England tours, [British and Irish] Lions tours, all the cup finals, obviously all the Premiership stuff, she was always there.

“She will be sorely missed.

“Being back with the team was probably the best thing that could have happened.

Itoje says his mother had an influence in his many off-field interests as well.

Itoje has founded a charity to help disadvantaged children in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, runs an art gallery, has degrees in politics and business and has hosted his own podcast.

In April, he spoke about Englishness and identity at an event at Downing Street to mark St George’s Day.

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed in a Sky News interview on Wednesday that Britain has been “colonised by immigrants”, later apologising for his choice of language, while standing by a wider point about the possible dangers of migration.

“I disagree with the terminology and sentiments of what he said,” said Itoje about the comments of Ratcliffe, who lives in Monaco.

“I sit before you as a man who was born in north London, a very proud Londoner, very proud to have this English identity, very proud to play for England and to captain England.

“It’s one of my greatest accomplishments and, regardless of what I do for the rest of my life, this will be up there with one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

“But I’m also of Nigerian descent, and I’m equally as proud of that heritage as well.

“I just think it was very clumsy wording and the figures he was talking about were factually inaccurate as well.