England hooker Jamie George discovered he would relinquish the captaincy responsibility "less than 24 hours" before the Six Nations squad was announced.

Maro Itoje has taken over from Jamie George as England’s captain ahead of this year’s Six Nations. George, 34, had been serving as Steve Borthwick’s skipper following Owen Farrell’s decision to step away from international rugby in late 2023.

Steve Borthwick has backed Maro Itoje to lead England into the 2027 Rugby World Cup and said it is his capability to be calm in the face of pressure which has seen him elevated to captain of the team.

England head coach Steve Borthwick has backed ‘world-class’ Maro Itoje to succeed as England captain, and feels it is also a long-term appointment with one eye on the 2027 World Cup. Itoje was named captain for the upcoming Six Nations yesterday,

England head coach Steve Borthwick explains why he chose Maro Itoje to replace Jamie George as captain for the Six Nations this spring. George has been in charge since the 2023 World Cup but is demoted to vice-skipper alongside Ellis Genge,

England coach Steve Borthwick named his Six Nations squad for 2025 on January 14. A total of 36 players were called up to the training squad, which will undertake pre-tournament preparations in Girona from Tuesday,