Maro Itoje makes plea for Six Nations to remain on free-to-air TV as he prepares for Ireland clash in first game since being named England captain

Maro Itoje announced himself as England’s new captain with a commanding plea to keep the Six Nations on free-to-air TV.

The tournament’s broadcast deal with the BBC and ITV is up for renewal and rugby’s premium event could soon move behind a paywall.

However, speaking ahead of Saturday’s opening Test against Ireland, Itoje defiantly stated the need for the tournament to remain visible to the nation.

‘I think the Six Nations should be viewed by as many people as possible,’ said Itoje. ‘I grew up watching the Six Nations on the BBC and on ITV. The fact that it’s been on free-to-air, for so many people – I think rugby needs more eyes on it, not less.

‘Obviously I am not involved in the finances of the deals, but I think, even though international rugby is massive, the sport should be looking at ways to be more accessible to more people, as opposed to the opposite.’

England arrived in Dublin as underdogs and Itoje’s vice-captain, Ellis Genge, wants the team to deliver a performance to be proud of.

‘Everyone has got their opinions,’ said Genge. ‘Some people like the way I play, others don’t. Some people like the way Ben Earl and Maro play, the shouting and all that stuff, some people don’t. It’s not up to us to lose sleep about what they like about the intricacies of our personalities.

‘One thing I do know, you can really feel the fans when we’re putting our all into the game, whether we’re winning or losing. If they see us fighting for every inch and scrapping on the pitch you can really feel them get behind us.

‘Even in the autumn, when we lost quite narrowly to a few teams, you see messages saying thank you for fighting tooth and nail. 

‘I think that’s a trait of an Englishman, fighting for the scraps and never say die attitude but ultimately we want to win games so hopefully we can do that for them.’