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Rugby Pod verdict on rumoured hefty Maro Itoje pay cut at Saracens
Former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton and England out-half Andy Goode have weighed in on the speculation surrounding the future of Maro Itoje at Saracens.
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Clubs in the Gallagher Premiership are now restricted to having just one marquee player wage outside the salary cap and with the current deals for Owen Farrell and Itoje set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season, something has got to give at the London outfit.
It has been reported that England skipper Farrell will be offered a fresh marquee status deal, meaning Itoje would have to leave Saracens to keep earning a similar wage or else take a hefty pay cut.
Itoje has in the past been linked with a switch to the Top 14 but Hamilton, his ex-second row teammate at Saracens, believes he won’t cross the Channel at the end of this season and will instead agree to reduced terms to play on at the StoneX in order to remain eligible for England selection.
The topic came up for discussion on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod, the weekly show hosted by the World Rugby Content Studios presenter and Goode, his former Leicester Tigers colleague.
Here is how their conversation about Itoje unfolded:
Hamilton: That is because of the marquee. So the marquee, they are still sticking with one marquee and Maro and Owen are the marquees, so Owen will stick as the marquee and I thought Maro Itoje would leave Saracens. That would be my thought process around that. Highly sought after, but hasn’t kind of been on the form that he was.
Goode: He has over the last few games.
Hamilton: Well, there you go, he is out of contract, he knows what he is doing. Does he have the gravitas of someone like Siya Kolisi? No. Was he on that kind of trajectory of having that? I felt he was and he has dropped off slightly, but would someone in France want him for a million pounds? Probably. Or Japan. But France probably more so. The Top 14 would look to bend over backwards to take Maro Itoje for their team, but everything is pointing towards him is now going to take a 50 per cent pay cut.
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Goode: Are you announcing that he has signed, Jim? He’s staying?
Hamilton: No. I have got no idea. This is what I am reading. The rumours, if we can talk about rumours.
Goode: I thought you mentored him?
Hamilton: I mentored him and then he didn’t like me after we started. I don’t know. He unfollowed me on social media and we will come onto people unfollowing and blocking; Joe Marler who looks like he has already retired at the weekend, but we will come onto that. Yeah, I don’t know. I respect Maro, I like him, I thought he would have left Saracens. It seemed to me like he needed a freshen-up but everything is pointing towards him staying at a 50 per cent pay cut, whatever that is.
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Comments on RugbyPass
GOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
1 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
150 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
150 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
150 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
150 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
150 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
150 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
150 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
150 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
150 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
150 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
150 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
150 Go to commentsHo hum.
150 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
150 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
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