Maro Itoje has endured an "incredibly sad, incredibly emotional" time following his mother Florence's death. The 31-year-old traveled to Nigeria for the funeral, describing the experience as "deeply emotional" but "peaceful" to take his mother back to her ancestral home.
His mother was a devoted rugby fan who attended all of his matches around the world. Itoje, who started on the bench against Wales after joining camp late, found returning to the team supportive during this difficult period.