Brendan Gallagher verdict: I’ve never seen a more brilliant 21-year-old than Maro Itoje

Maro Itoje is only 21 and on Saturday was just his second start in a senior England shirt but I’m struggling to think of a more complete performance from an England forward in modern times.
The scope of his contributions on the pitch was extraordinary and regardless of Wales’ exciting comeback you could have made the call for MoM at half-time.
The extraordinary thing is that nobody should be surprised although some, not least Stuart Lancaster, seemed to doubt the wisdom of rushing him into action, a decision that possibly cost England dear at RWC2015.
Even Eddie Jones seemed to take a little convincing, ridiculously comparing him to a Vauxhall Viva just a few weeks ago. Come again?
As anybody who has watched Itoje regularly over the last three or four years will confirm, at no stage, could he ever remotely be compared with a Vauxhall Viva, he has always been a Rolls Royce. On Saturday Jones upgraded him to a BMW but even there the England boss, clearly no petrol-head, is undervaluing his young tyro a bit.
It’s too late now, of course, but Itoje should have been an automatic selection in England’s starting XV at the World Cup rather than one of the first names to be cut last summer.
And if you think that is a case of retrospective 20-20 vision The Rugby Paper had been consistently demanding his elevation to a major role since he led England to a Junior World Cup title in 2014. For a very select few, promotion to the big time can never come too soon because that is where they operate best and Itoje has always come into that category.
Elsewhere in these pages today you can read of how Gareth Edwards stepped up from starring in the Rosslyn Park Sevens to            starring for Wales in the blink of an eye.
Extreme talent must never be constrained. It needs to be let loose while in its first full flush. Itoje comes into that category, he just does, and there is no point whatsoever about England being coy over him anymore.
I recall Ian Jones, then commentating on the tournament, raving about Itoje back at that Junior World Cup two years ago and the All Black legend is not an easy man to impress when it comes to assessing young second rows.
Jones was also impressed that the ultra-polite and intelligent Itoje addressed him as “Sir” throughout their post-match interviews. Itoje is obviously a diplomat as well as a terminator.
So from this point onwards let’s forget his age and let’s just examine Itoje the player and personality and what he brings to the top table. He is a very rare mix of athleticism, skill and grunt and the only English comparison that comes easily to mind is the young Roger Uttley before his back went. Curiously, Itoje is a product of Harrow School where Uttley was the master in charge for so many years.
Ideally, Itoje should probably spend the next couple of seasons of international rugby in the backrow and that might yet be Eddie Jones’ intention on the summer tour of Australia, especially as England, as usual, aren’t exactly short of locks with George Kruis making huge advances this season and Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes keen to regain their former starting positions.
He has the pace and ball playing skills to play No.8 – although there is hardly a vacancy there with Billy Vunipola playing so well – and the power-game, tackling skills and jackal properties to excel at blindside flanker. Meanwhile his lineout ability at the tail could be frightening.
Moving him there would be a big call but it seems too early to be condemning such an athlete to the boilerhouse. Not that he is found wanting in the tight. His lineout working generally is rock solid and with those long arms he seems to be everywhere in the lineout.
The most impressive thing of all about Itoje though is his instinctive leadership, you see it in everything he does. As a player he leads by example but he is also very vocal and is constantly talking to his teammates, tapping them on the back, calling for another effort. He is a great communicator and thinker who sees the bigger picture. He knows what is needed and when.
This is a boy-man who penned the above poem – There Comes A Time – a couple of years ago as he tried to fight his nerves before a big schools game.
As a description of his    particular talents it can scarcely be bettered.