MARO THE MAGNIFICENT

Itoje rises to occasion again to cement his place as Lions great

WHEN it really mattered, Maro Itoje delivered. Again. The England lock is on course for a place in the pantheon, among the greatest Lions of all time, after another tour de force.

The 26-year-old rose to the grandest occasion, just as he did four years ago. Back then, he was man of the match in Wellington as the 2017 Lions became the first visiting team for eight years to beat the All Blacks on their turf.

On Saturday, he was feted as the star performer again as Warren Gatland’s British and Irish squad stunned the world-champion Springboks.

There was one notable difference. In New Zealand’s capital city, Itoje was serenaded by thousands of travelling fans as the ‘Red Army’ savoured an epic, series-levelling triumph. This time, there was no crowd and no fervour, but there was no shortage of admiration.

Yesterday, while taking stock of his team’s comeback win, Gatland paid tribute to the Saracen for his 80-minute masterpiece.

‘I love seeing how much the top players want to win these big matches and I saw that in Maro Itoje last night,’ said the head coach. ‘His performance was outstanding. During the tour, he’s been OK — there’s been nothing outstanding about his performances. But he just went up another level yesterday.’

With Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones alongside him as a symbol of top-level longevity and influence, Itoje is young enough to be part of another two Lions tours. He can go on to become acclaimed as one of the iconic figures in the history of Home Nations rugby.

His exploits in this victory were monumental — in defence and attack, from first minute to last. He just did not let up. The Boks will see him in their nightmares.

To think, this is someone who was struggling earlier in the year. Like his club-mates in the England squad, Itoje was short of game-time at the start of the Six Nations.

He was a leading offender as Eddie Jones’ side suffered a damaging torrent of disciplinary lapses and slumped to a fifth-place finish which led to reviews and recriminations.

But Itoje is too good to struggle for long. He is a supreme athlete and competitor. This was his true self. Even his reaction to a famous result was telling.

‘Winning a Test match with the Lions is rare,’ he said, as someone who has now done it twice. ‘We only play once every four years and it’s unique but this will mean nothing unless we go out and win next week. So this is a great win and I’m proud to be part of this match, but we know that we need to do a job next week. That’s when it really counts.’

Itoje felt the force of Springbok physicality early on, when he was knocked back by rival lock Eben Etzebeth, who held him down and delivered some words of wisdom as they grappled on the ground.

It appeared to be an omen for a kingpin of the Lions pack and although it didn’t turn out that way, Itoje will be braced for a backlash next weekend, in the second Test.

‘South Africa are a very proud rugby nation,’ he said. ‘They are going to come with a higher intensity. They are going to come harder at the scrum, harder at the lineout, harder with their kicking game.

‘So we need to be better in all those areas.’

His hope and belief is that the tourists are also capable of reaching greater heights. ‘There’s so much growth in this team,’ he added.

The good news for Itoje and Gatland and all the Lions is there is ample scope for improvement. There is a school of thought that the Boks can narrow the gap, but that is based on the notion that their rivals have already hit a performance ceiling. That is simply not the case. They won the series opener with spirit and physical resilience and composure, despite flaws which can be rectified.

In the first half, the visiting pack were eclipsed. The scrum buckled and the lineout — initially impressive — malfunctioned. As Itoje noted, they were too frantic. Too often, passes were rushed or forced or ill-judged. The tactical kicking was mixed and the kick-chase lacked organisation at times, gifting the Boks space to exploit. With a Test under their belts and with the confidence of being 1-0 up, the Lions can execute far better next time. Their skills can be sharper. They are capable of being far more ruthless.

Gatland is buoyed by the sense that his team can beat the hosts at their own game, but that should not prevent consideration of personnel changes. One way to guard against a dip in intensity would be to reshuffle his line-up, no matter how harsh that may be.

Luke Cowan-Dickie was the Lions’ sole try-scorer, but his place at hooker is surely under threat, while Wyn Jones may be reinstated at loosehead prop if he recovers from a shoulder injury. Jack Conan grafted hard at No8 but Taulupe Faletau — wounded by his absence from the last matchday 23 — must be in contention for a swift recall.

Liam Williams has the aerial prowess to add a vital layer of authority and reassurance in the back three, while a midfield reshuffle is almost inevitable. Elliot Daly was asked to act as a crashball centre which does not suit him. If Gatland wants his No13 to breach the gainline, he might consider reuniting Robbie Henshaw with Bundee Aki, or adding Owen Farrell to the starting XV and shifting Henshaw out one place. The Lions can improve their selection and their performance, to ram home their advantage. The series is there for the taking, if they reach a collective peak in five days’ time.

As for Itoje, it is hard to imagine there is another level he can strive for — more of the same would be more than enough.