Captaincy can 'elevate' Itoje's game - Beirne

Maro Itoje replaces Jamie George as England captain for the Six Nations

Ireland forward Tadhg Beirne believes the England captaincy will be a benefit, not a burden, to Maro Itoje during the Six Nations.

Hooker Jamie George had served as Steve Borthwick's skipper since the 2023 World Cup but the role has been passed on to his Saracens team-mate for this campaign.

Beirne, who was a British and Irish Lions team-mate of the 30-year-old lock in South Africa four years ago, thinks Itoje can be "the reason a team ticks".

"He's a phenomenal player, he's shown that throughout his career," said Beirne.

"He's someone who certainly lives on the edge, and sometimes he probably gets caught on that, but I think his influence on games is often very positive and I think he can be the reason a team ticks and a reason they win games, because of the influence he can have on the game.

"He's that type of player and being in that captain's role for England now, I'm sure it will elevate his performance even more.

"It often does bring out the best in players and he'll probably be no different."

Beirne's Ireland host England in their Six Nations opener on Saturday and the 33-year-old feels his side have a "a great rivalry" with England, who ended their hopes of consecutive Grand Slams with victory in London last year.

While Ireland did go on to claim the championship crown by beating Scotland at home a week later, the missed opportunity for history still rankles with the Munster man.

"Twickenham was incredibly disappointing," Beirne reflected.

"They took away the Grand Slam from us, but we kind of took it away from ourselves with how we played in that game.

"We were playing the following week and we had a chance to right some wrongs and thankfully we were able to do that. I'd love to be sitting here saying I'm a back-to-back Grand Slam winner but we did have an opportunity to make ourselves feel better by winning the championship."