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.
Maro Itoje was the standout player as the Lions beat South Africa on Saturday in the first Test
The lock collected the man of the match award after the tourists' stirring comeback win
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.
Itoje was also instrumental in the Lions' second Test win over New Zealand on the 2017 tour
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
