Isnt Itoje playing a slightly different way...doing more nitty gritty stuff and more of the less flashy eyecatching stuff he used to do. Giving away less penalties.
That's a theory but the point of the Times article at the weekend was what's the point of burying a thoroughbred in the middle of a breakdown that any old donkey can hit.
Anyway some stats per 80 minutes of test rugby in each year. 2023 is obviously an incomplete sample of just 3 games nonetheless some interesting patterns.
Metres gained in 2023: 5.3. Averaged at 16.9 in the 3 full years 17-19.
Tackles made in 2023: 16. Career high after 8 in each of the past 2 years. Previously bounced around 12 or 13.
Pens conceded in 2023: 1. Same in 2022 following career worst of 1.9 in 21. 1.2 in 20 and 0.7 in 19. Average over 1.5 in first 3 years of Eng career.
Turnovers won in 2023: Career low of 0.7. Average over previous 4 years nearly 1.4.
Turnovers conceded in 2023: 1. Last 3 years have been his worst averaging out at exactly 1 with the previous 4 years averaging at 0.5.
There's a lot more to rugby than stats which you can use to (dis)prove anything. And these are only partial - they don't talk about number of rucks hit / dominant tackles, passes, line out steals / losses etc. Nonetheless there's little in that data that's really surprising.
Other interesting comments from the Times article were:
* on his lethargy in the Sco game (subsequently improved) in getting back in the defensive line and getting reinvolved in the game following line outs.
* on his game awareness. "He helps secure plenty of ruck ball but wouldn't pass the 'Richard Hill test' of never hitting a ruck that didn't need to be hit"
What does all this prove? Well nothing really. A change of roles / emphasis possibly, but suspicion remains that Itoje has either long since peaked as some players do or that he was never quite as stellar as originally hyped. All against the context of the game moving on and not even his strongest advocates would say he's the best ball playing lock around.
