Maro Itoje admits that English fans “deserve better” after a dismal 2022

Maro Itoje insisted the fans “deserve better” as England seek to right the wrongs of a miserable 2022 that ended with the sacking of Eddie Jones.

England won just five Tests out of 12 last year, before Steve Borthwick was chosen as head coach for the next Six Nations.

Lock Itoje said: ‘We don’t represent the rose in the way we would have liked. As players we recognize that and the fans deserve better.

‘As players, we don’t want to characterize our careers that way; we want successful races where we are winning.

“In 2022, in general, it was not exactly where we wanted it. The exciting thing is that we have a new opportunity to correct those errors.

It was a terrible year for England and led to Eddie Jones being sacked as the team’s manager.

He is replaced by Steve Borthwick, who takes charge of his first match against Scotland

You can’t fully do that, as there are things we can’t change, but we recognize that 2022 was not the best representation of ourselves.

‘The past is the past. We are fully aware that in recent times, especially in the fall, it was not up to the standard we would expect of ourselves.

“But as a team, we are very excited about what we can do. One of the things that Steve has told us is that when we go out there we have to be proud of what we do and make the people in the stands proud too.

‘The worst thing you can have in life is regret or not giving your best. We have the chance to start over, start over and write a new chapter in English rugby.”