Maro Itoje starts his reign as England captain on Saturday pleading with Six Nations chiefs to keep the tournament on free-to-air TV and not hide it behind a paywall. Itoje, who leads his side for the first time against Ireland in Dublin has waded in on the debate warning rugby should be pulling out all the stops to attract mass coverage.

MARO ITOJE LEADS England into what could be the final Six Nations shown on terrestrial television, in the UK at least, with a call to organisers to prioritise the game’s reach when considering the next broadcast deal.