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Men's Six Nations: Ireland v England
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Coverage: Listen unrecorded connected BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds; substance commentary and highlights connected BBC Sport website and app; ticker connected ITV1.
New England skipper Maro Itoje says losing is not what helium is astir arsenic his broadside hole to unfastened their Six Nations run against Ireland connected Saturday.
Itoje replaced Jamie George arsenic skipper earlier this period aft England lone won 5 of their 12 Tests successful 2024.
Steve Borthwick's broadside beat Ireland, who are seeking a historical 3rd title successful a row, astatine Twickenham's Allianz Stadium past twelvemonth and volition beryllium hoping to commencement positively successful Dublin to assistance their bid for a archetypal Six Nations rubric since 2020.
"I don't privation to suffer and losing is not what I americium about," Itoje told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.
"There is nary greater honour than winning with England. You triumph with your nine and that is special, but winning with England is simply a antithetic kettle of fish.
"I privation this squad to consciousness that and execute that and I deliberation we can."
Itoje led England to the Under-20 satellite rubric successful 2014 but lone stepped up to pb Saracens this play successful the aftermath of erstwhile skipper Owen Farrell's departure to France.
The 30-year-old fastener made his debut successful England's 2016 Grand Slam-winning run and enjoyed a palmy commencement to his planetary vocation nether Eddie Jones, reaching the Rugby World Cup successful 2019.
In a 2021 book, Jones questioned whether Itoje was suited to captaincy, penning that the 2nd enactment was "very inward-looking" and did not "usually power radical disconnected the field" - a presumption Itoje aboriginal denied.
Courtney Lawes, who captained England during their Australia circuit successful 2022, said Itoje is not a large talker, external erstwhile it comes to pre-game squad talks, but the caller England skipper is blessed to manus implicit those duties to louder squad members.
"If determination are swearing obligations I volition manus that implicit to the 14 members of the team!" Itoje added.
"Everyone has things to enactment on. I similar to deliberation I americium a reasonably self-aware idiosyncratic and I deliberation I americium humble capable to admit wherever I request enactment from others."
Harlequins helping Cadan Murley, who scored two tries for England A against Australia A successful November, volition marque his England debut connected Saturday.
Growing up, Murley played the bulk of his rugby arsenic a flanker - similar his begetter and erstwhile Harlequin Jon - earlier switching to the backs arsenic a 16-year-old.
After 9 England camps since his archetypal call-up successful 2023, the 25-year-old yet has the accidental to amusement that helium punches supra his size, taking inspiration from chap 5ft 11in helping Jack Nowell who had a palmy England vocation with a likewise stocky build.
"I person antithetic traits to a life-long helping and privation to bring a antithetic borderline similar Jack Nowell did to the English team," Murley told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.
"I was speedy for a flanker, but did not person standout pace, and you evidently enactment with the champion velocity coaches to get arsenic speedy arsenic you can.
"There are immoderate perfectly accelerated wings successful the world, truthful it's decidedly thing I person tried to adhd to my game. There are not galore enactment breaks successful Tests and you person to instrumentality those opportunities.
"I americium going to effort and enactment successful this shirt, I americium hopeless to play from my country."
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