In a sport as physical as rugby union, when one of the key roles of the opposition is repeatedly and persistently to prevent you playing well, it is unusual to string together a long run of high-quality performances. On Saturday at Twickenham the man attempting to quell Maro Itoje was James Ryan, the Ireland captain and one of the most highly rated lock forwards in Europe. Yet even against Ryan, Itoje could not be shifted. It feels, now, that we are witnessing something genuinely special. In rugby, individual greatness, or rather the ability of a single player to influence a result, is more obviously the domain of the backs — Jonny May with his brace of tries against Ireland, for instance.

Source: The Times November 23, 2020 17:08 UTC