- - England rugby captain Maro Itoje to start the Six Nations on the bench

February 2, 2026 at 7:28 PM

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FILE - The French team players including Antoine Dupont, center, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, file) ()

LONDON (AP) — England rugby captain Maro Itoje will begin the Six Nations tournament as a reserve.

Itoje was named on the bench Monday for England's opening game against Wales at Twickenham.

When he steps on the field on Saturday, the second-row forward will take over as captain. Hooker Jamie George will lead the team from the start.

According to statistics company Opta, it will be the first Six Nations match that Itoje starts on the bench since his tournament debut in 2016 and he has played the full match in 43 of his 44 appearances in the championship since then.

Itoje, who led the British and Irish Lions on their test series-winning tour of Australia last year, has been grieving the death of his mother, Florence. She died in December at the age of 66.

England coach Steve Borthwick has been increasingly happy in some games to stack his bench with first-teamers who can enter in the second half and ensure the team's performance levels do not dip.

Also among the reserves against Wales, for example, is Lions flanker Tom Curry.

England is expected to rival France and Ireland for the Six Nations title this year.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

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Source: “AOL Sports”