28 January 2023 , 19:03
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England forward Maro Itoje has compared the end of Eddie Jones' England reign to the demise of the previous two Prime Ministers.
After a wretched autumn campaign that yielded mediocre defeats at home to both Argentina and South Africa, Jones was sacked in December just nine months out from the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He was duly replaced by Leicester's Steve Borthwick, who will begin his reign at home to Scotland in the Six Nations next Saturday.
Not that Jones, 62, waited long before hitting the headlines again. In a sensational development this month, he was reappointed as head coach of his native Australia. Like with England, he has previously led The Wallabies to a World Cup final defeat.
But Itoje, 28, wasn't surprised by the initial sacking at least, revealing that the England squad had sensed Jones' aura was diminishing: "I think I just saw it on the news," he told The Telegraph. "You could feel the mood change, especially in the newspapers."
In a curious analogy, he then likened it to the departure of the two previous occupants of 10 Downing Street: "Kind of like how it felt when Boris Johnson or Liz Truss were coming to their end. It was that kind of shift."
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The Saracens star agreed with the change, but that hasn't tainted his gratitude towards the man who handed him an international debut back in 2016: "I'm very grateful," he said. "I don't think he ever dropped me, so I'm grateful for the opportunities.
Jones has been reappointed as head coach of Australia (PA)"He had his moments with me, but ultimately I'm grateful for what he's done. Things are going to change, [Steve] will change the way we do things. And to be completely honest, we needed a change, because the last year wasn't what we expected of ourselves."
England finished third in the 2022 Six Nations, but were a full 15 points off winners France. However, Itoje implied they could challenge this time around if the side performed to their levels.
"So change is good, it's exciting," he continued. "I've always said this team has an incredible amount of potential. It's now about us figuring out how to make that a reality."