Jamie George has opened up on losing the England captaincy, as the hooker was stripped of the Test match armband ahead of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations. The helm of Steve Borthwick’s side was then passed on to Maro Itoje, and the lock has led his side to two home matches on the bounce against France and Scotland.
It was a bitter pill for George to take when Borthwick relieved him of his duties as England skipper, and the hooker recalled the difficult conversation that he had with his head coach.
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“It was really challenging, it was really difficult. Nothing has ever been straightforward. “That hurt, it really did and the first thing on my mind was ‘is that me?’ But at the same time, I have really good people around me, speaking to my old man, my wife, you understand what is important. Some of the best times of my life have been playing rugby for England, I love playing rugby for England.”
“It wasn’t a two-way conversation, it was very one way. I don’t think you can plead your case like a break up. I wasn’t expecting it but at the same time I understood it. Steve has always been very clear with me and very honest and I have worked with coaches before who haven’t be. I really value that with Steve and the way he did it.
“I was gutted, I was disappointed, I felt like I had a lot more to give but at the same time his decision and who he has picked in Maro, is a fantastic decision and what he has done in the last few weeks has been really impressive.”
George expressed how he had a solid support network to call upon, after he lost the role at the lead of the England team. The hooker recalled some timley conversations he had with his family, as well as with his former England and Saracens skipper Owen Farrell, who reached out to George after seeing the news.
“I was speaking to my old man a lot, I spoke to my uncle a fair bit and my wife really. Mark McCall (Saracens Director of Rugby) was fantastic with me in that period and it said a lot about him as a man, as a coach, but as a friend really to be completely honest having his ear to lean on was was huge for me in that time. Probably if I could put my finger on one person who influenced my decision at that stage, it was Mark.
“I obviously spoke to Owen. He just phoned me as a mate, he was just checking in. We were probably both going through a little bit of a hard time in that period. We catch up quite a bit and throughout my time as captain, I spoke to Owen on a lot. Again, a really good mate who was able to give me a call to check in and he’s always someone that his opinion I value above most others.”
Even whilst George has no longer in possession of the captain’s armband, the hooker’s vocals have not deteriorated as he remains a firm fixture of the England leadership team. George expressed how the majority of his on-field role has remained the same, and the 34-year-old is enjoying the shared responsibilities with his long-time Saracens teammate.
“Honestly, when I’m on the field, other than deciding whether we go for three or not, my role for the team, I play best when I’m vocal. I play best and I add to the team when I take charge of huddles and Maro wants me to be able to do that.
“I think it frees Maro up a little bit if he’s got decisions to be made with the referee, he needs vice captains and people to take charge of other people and a different perspective. The way that we work together I think has been great.
“We’ve worked together for a long time in a leadership capacity at Sarries, especially this year with him taking on the captaincy and it flows really well. And, like I said, I think it brings the best out of me and I hope that it adds to the team.”
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QUIZ: Can You Name EVERY Player in England’s 2016 Six Nations Grand Slam Squad?
England last won the Six Nations Grand Slam back in 2016, in what was Eddie Jones’ first Championship in charge. Taking over from Stuart Lancaster, Jones appointed a new captain to his side, in what was the start of a record equalising 18-test match winning streak.
Jones named a 33-man squad for the 2016 Six Nations, and we’ve laid out the challenge for you to name each and every one of the players. Due to the extra toughness of this one, we’ve given a slightly longer time limit for you to rattle off the answers.
Your time starts… now!
