{"id":267858,"date":"2025-07-16T23:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T23:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/267858\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T23:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T23:43:09","slug":"the-itoje-legacy-nigerian-roots-shaped-the-lions-captain-who-has-inspired-a-new-generation-lions-tour-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/267858\/","title":{"rendered":"The Itoje legacy: Nigerian roots shaped the Lions captain who has inspired a new generation | Lions tour 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is 2017 and Maro Itoje has just been selected as the youngest member of the British & Irish Lions squad. He is asked for his favourite Lions memory and his response is illuminating. \u201cUgo Monye scoring his try in the third Test<\/a> [against South Africa in 2009]. When you\u2019re young and growing up, you look at players that look like you. And, by that, I don\u2019t mean eyes, ears, nose, I mean who have the same skin colour, who you can identify with. Ugo is one I could identify with, as we\u2019re both of Nigerian descent. To see him score that amazing try resonated with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, when the Lions begin their series against Australia, Itoje will win his 100th Test cap. He is England captain, the first black captain of the Lions and the country\u2019s most prominent rugby player. And you cannot help but wonder to what extent he himself has passed the torch. For there can be little doubt that the number of British-Nigerian players making a significant impact in the Premiership is at an all-time high. Gabriel Ibitoye finished the season as joint top try-scorer, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso began it as England\u2019s next big thing. Andy Onyeama-Christie, Beno Obano, Nick Isiekwe, Max Ojomoh, Afo Fasogbon and Emeka Ilione all shone across the campaign.<\/p>\n

The list goes on. Indeed it is five years since Itoje picked his Nigerian British XV on social media, with Monye as director of rugby and his aunt, Funke, as team manager. These things are subjective but by most metrics, today\u2019s team would be considerably stronger and many of its contingent would have been inspired by Itoje\u2019s totemic performance for the Lions against New Zealand in 2017<\/a>, just as he was by Monye\u2019s try.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only a small number of us who have contributed to the Premiership,\u201d says Monye, who recalls being approached by Itoje\u2019s father, Efe, to offer his gratitude at paving the way for his son. \u201cWe\u2019re punching way above our weight, it\u2019s totally disproportionate but of course you feel a greater sense of pride when it is one of your own and someone who has a similar heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itoje, 30, is passionately proud of his Nigerian heritage. He co-founded the Akoje Gallery<\/a> to showcase African art and established his charity the Pearl Fund<\/a> which seeks to tackle poverty among children in Nigeria and other African countries. And after England\u2019s 2019 World Cup final defeat by South Africa<\/a> he quoted a Nigerian proverb: \u201cWhen a ram goes backwards, it is not retreating. It moves back to gather more strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maro Itoje in typical action in the middle of a driving maul against Queensland Reds in Brisbane. Photograph: David Gibson\/Fotosport\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Within the rugby-playing, British-Nigerian community he is idolised while the president of Rugby Africa, Herbert Mensah, sees parallels between Itoje and Siya Kolisi, the Springboks captain. \u201cWhat does Maro mean to Africa? In many ways, in the same way that Siya Kolisi symbolises something with a similar kind of temperament, that he has now become a global brand,\u201d says Mensah. \u201cMaro has also risen to being that brand, in Africa he still represents that leader. He\u2019s not confused as to his heritage and in many ways he is the typical, educated African son. He is someone that every parent craves for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stallions RFC is a sevens-playing London-based team made up predominantly of players with Nigerian heritage. It is a successor to London Nigerian and was founded in 2009, initially as Nigeria Exiles. Suvwe Obano \u2013 brother of Beno and cousin of Itoje \u2013 and Matt Ilube, son of the former Rugby Football Union chairman Tom, are among those who have turned out in recent years.<\/p>\n

Maro Itoje is flanked by his brother Jeremy, mother Florence, father Efe and sister Isabel at a fundraiser dinner for his charity foundation the Pearl Fund. Photograph: Dave Benett\/Getty Images for The Pearl Fund<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin those who are in British-Nigerian rugby, Maro is definitely a role model,\u201d says Ade Ojigbo, who joined Stallions in 2022. \u201cWhen [Maro] got announced as Lions captain someone on the group chat said: \u2018Oh, does that mean he won\u2019t be available for us next week?\u2019 I look at the example of my mum and dad, they\u2019re not the biggest rugby fans, I don\u2019t know if they\u2019d be able to name him. For those of us within rugby, within sport, it is that idea of you\u2019ve got someone who is like you, similar to you. To the extent that goes wider? Obviously it will have an impact, the fact that a British-Nigerian is captain of a major sporting international team and now the Lions, it probably will have reach, but I think there is still a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso dives over to score a try during the Autumn Nations Series match against the All Blacks at Twickenham last year. Photograph: Ian Walton\/AP<\/p>\n

There is a well-established path from Stallions to the Nigeria XVs and sevens teams to the extent that they sent 11 players for the pre-Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic qualifiers. This year eight players represented Nigeria in the Africa Sevens. \u201cWe are very much a pathway for the Nigerian national team but it\u2019s actually a bit bigger than that because there\u2019s a cultural and community aspect to it as well,\u201d adds Ojigbo<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of boys who are British-Nigerian, they love rugby, they love playing it but they can feel that as if rugby isn\u2019t for them or there\u2019s no space for them in rugby or they don\u2019t feel seen, they still feel on the outside of that. It\u2019s creating that space where rugby can be the sport that is open as people try and see and no matter who you are you can find a space where you can flourish in that.\u201d<\/p>\n

To revert to Itoje\u2019s Lions memories, it is telling that the 2005 tour of New Zealand did not register with him. Hardly surprising perhaps, given the disaster it was, but as he has pointed out, he did not start watching rugby until 2007 when he was 13 and a pupil at St George\u2019s School in Harpenden at the same time as Owen Farrell, who was three years above him.<\/p>\n

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Stallions RFC is a sevens-playing London-based team made up predominantly of players with Nigerian heritage. Photograph: Charlotte Neal \/Chapter 4 Studio<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s typically played in grammar schools and in private schools and Nigerian parents want to give their child the best education and actually that means young British-Nigerian children are going to these schools where rugby is played and they\u2019re picking up the ball aged 11, having not had a background in rugby,\u201d says Ojigbo.<\/p>\n

It is significant, then, that Feyi-Waboso and Ilione are both trainee doctors while Itoje tells a story of how one year, for an April Fools\u2019 joke, he sent his father an email explaining that he would be concentrating on rugby and no longer intended to go to university. Efe did not speak to him for three days. \u201cI totally can relate to that and I think every lad who has Nigerian heritage and a similar upbringing would have a similar story to that,\u201d adds Monye.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one reason why you see so many British-Nigerians play rugby is because of the education system. Education in Nigeria is number one so if you can find an opportunity to have your son or daughter attend private school you absolutely will. And just as a direct consequence of that, you\u2019re likely to then pick up a rugby ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re a genetically gifted nation. I don\u2019t think people are being sent to school to become these legendary rugby players, they are sent there to get great educations and actually if you asked most Nigerian mums and dads, it\u2019s education first and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maro Itoje in Brisbane. He will lead out the Lions there in Saturday\u2019s opening Test against Australia Photograph: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

According to the most recent data, the Nigerian population in the UK is 270,000 but significantly bigger when factoring in those born here. But only somewhere between 6-7% of the population in the UK attends private school, so the scope for untapped potential becomes clearer. Monye illustrates the point perfectly when recalling his playing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Steve Borthwick announces his side he says: \u2018This is the best 23 players in England.\u2019 I always think, is it? We don\u2019t know. We have a pathway within the private school system, it is superb. What about the rest? Imagine if we could tap into that. When I played on the world sevens series, I was considered one of the quickest on the scene, one of the quickest in the Premiership, and in the international game. At my state school I wasn\u2019t even the fastest in my class.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, you need more than just pace or natural ability but genetics matter, in contact sport it bloody matters and I believe there are a lot of lads out there who have the core ingredients, who could be moulded into something special. But we would never know.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is 2017 and Maro Itoje has just been selected as the youngest member of the British &…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-267858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114865569965469288","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}