Maro Itoje considering surprise career away from rugby as England captain opens up

Maro Itoje has revealed he will consider entering politics once he calls time on his rugby career. The British & Irish Lions captain, who guided the tourists to a 2-1 series triumph against the Wallabies this summer, also skippers Saracens and Steve Borthwick's England team and has racked up 93 appearances for his country.

But long beyond his time on the pitch, Itoje has already thought about what he might do in the future. The man with a degree in politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies outlined his future aspirations on the podcast which he appeared on alongside Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. The 30-year-old is an accomplished orator and sporting ambassador who indicated politics could be a path he explores after retirement. "It's something that is of deep interest to me. I have so many interests and I think I could have gone any which way but one of them was and is politics," he said.

"I'm not putting anything off the table. The opportunity to effect real change, to put legislation in place for the betterment of society is a very attractive one, although it has its drawbacks as well."

He added, when pressed whether he'd like to follow the likes of Seb Coe into sports politics: "I'm actually more attracted to real politics. What I want to do is look positively forward into the future and throw all of myself into what happens next.

"That's what I will try and do but it's easier said than done." Itoje continued: "I'm a man of faith, I'm a Christian, so that always gives me hope. In the last 18 months or so I've become deeper and deeper in that faith.

"Despite the challenges that we face, I think this is a great country that has a lot of opportunities and it's a place where you'd rather be if you had to roll the dice, because of the opportunity, rule of law, the economy.

"Sometimes we forget that as a nation and how powerful we are. Obviously if you compare it to 100 years ago you would say it's dwindling but as of today it's a nation that many other parts of the world would dream of."

Speaking back in 2024, after a visit to 10 Downing Street, he told the Independent: "I will be back, for sure - I don't know in what role yet, but I'll be back. I'll find my way through those doors one way or another.

"There isn't a day that goes by where I don't engage with some sort of politics. I like listening to podcasts, even ones that don't align with my politics. It is healthy to hear how other people think.

"It's helpful to go out to some environments where you might be a bit uncomfortable, because you never know who you might meet or what that is going to lead to. Life is a series of sliding doors, and it's good to be open to see what might be possible."