Saracens young star Maro Itoje ‘ecstatic’ after England Saxons call-up

Saracens’ Maro Itoje is “ecstatic” with his England Saxons call-up, after the lock forward was included in the 24-man squad for the upcoming game against the Irish Wolfhounds on January 30.

Itoje, who captained England’s Under-20s when they won the Junior World Championship last June and recently led Saracens Storm to the club’s first ever A-League title, has been named alongside team-mate Chris Ashton in the Saxons squad.

Itoje said: “I’m massively honoured and it’s something that I wasn’t really expecting. I’m really privileged to have been called up and I’m very happy with the news.

“I got the call from Graham [Rowntree] and I was ecstatic when I heard that I’d be involved. I told my brother and my parents and they were over the moon.

“Obviously this is a great a step for me, and it will give me the opportunity to play on a bigger scale. I’ll be in a different environment, so I need to continue to keep working hard.

“Just being part of the squad is what I’m really looking forward to. This is my first senior England involvement, so I’m looking forward to training and hopefully I’ll be able to thrive in this environment.”