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On the rugby pitch, Maro Itoje appears invincible. When England beat France to win the Grand Slam earlier this month, the 21-year-old from north London confidently tackled the opposition, darting around in a magnificent performance of strength, athleticism and speed. That victory in Paris meant England clinched the Grand Slam for the first time in 13 years and 6ft 5in Super Maro has already been tipped as a future captain despite this only being his first season of international rugby. When I meet him at Saracens’ training ground in St Albans he is analysing his performance with a coach as he drinks a post-training milkshake in preparation for tomorrow’s game against Bath.

Yet it’s when I ask if he is a feminist that he really becomes animated, saying: “Very good question. I describe myself as a liberal feminist. I definitely think we live in a system of patriarchy. Society has put unreasonable and unfair restrictions on women and has blocked many opportunities. Without a shadow of a doubt males have more opportunities to succeed. It’s partly due to sexism and partly due to attitudes towards women in this country and all over the world.”

Itoje is living up to his reputation as one of the most erudite men in sport. He spends the mornings focusing on lineouts, reprimanding his older team mates for their “dad jokes”, and the afternoons studying for a degree in politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He speaks with the assurance of someone used to crafting arguments for essays and also writes poetry, although he becomes coy when I mention it. “It’s been overplayed. You guys think I’m Shakespeare. I started during the junior World Cup when we had a lot of time off and thought it was cool. I haven’t written a poem in a long time.”

But while Itoje appears sensitive, the game at which he excels requires a somewhat harder exterior. This month more than 70 doctors and health experts called for a ban on tackling in school rugby because of the risk of serious injury. Itoje thinks this is the wrong approach: “Banning tackling at school will probably lead to more concussions. The best way to decrease them is to teach proper technique at an early age. It’s harder to teach how to tackle correctly when people are older. If you can’t tackle, you’re playing a different sport, a diluted version. But even if nothing happens in law, coaches will now have a heightened awareness that it’s their responsibility to teach good tackling to protect people in the long run.”

Itoje grew up in Cricklewood and supports Arsenal. He started playing rugby aged 11 at St George’s School in Harpenden and won a rugby bursary to Harrow at 16. “When I started I wasn’t that good,” he says. “I was the lanky kid in the corner. I didn’t know the rules; I was always offside, running around like a headless chicken.”

His family moved here from Nigeria in 1992. Efe, his father, was a special needs teacher and now works for Mobil oil, while his mother, Florence, is in property. “My parents didn’t think rugby was my career path,” he says. “Most kids play sport and I wasn’t any different.” They were supportive when he was spotted by Saracens aged 14, although they set a high standard — his father is said to call him when his performance is not up to scratch.

Education is important to his family: “My parents instilled that from a young age. Education helps make you a more rounded person and it was important to get a degree. Rugby is physically and mentally draining, a degree is just mentally draining — rugby is probably harder.”

His latest essay is about the media in Nigerian politics and he builds a convincing argument about the Biafran successionist movement appealing to the hearts of the international community. Would he like to go into politics? “I studied politics because I found it interesting, not necessarily because I want to divulge into that career path.” He’s such a persuasive speaker that I don’t realise he’s used the word divulge incorrectly.

He hasn’t had time to follow the mayoral race “but I know it’s between Sadiq Khan and someone Goldsmith. Someone told me Khan isn’t looking like the favourite.” I suggest that the campaigns have become dirty. “That’s politics,” he smiles. “I’d like to vote; I’ve not yet decided what direction I’ll go for. Congestion is a massive issue; going into central London is a joke.” He’s met Alastair Campbell a few times — “a cool guy” — while Jeremy Corbyn is “a breath of fresh air. He has a different approach to Prime Minister’s Questions and is a passionate, intelligent guy”.

If Maro Mania has affected him, he doesn’t show it. His teammates keep him level-headed with plenty of teasing, including about how he is “the pretty one”. Until now, Itoje has appeared mature but talking about girls makes him even more embarrassed than the poetry. When I ask if he is seeing anybody he rocks back and forth laughing and saying “nah” repeatedly, then going high-pitched and giggling: “Erm. I don’t know. Anyway, as I was saying before, I have good people around me, my family, my club.”

The job of England captain comes with intense scrutiny. Chris Robshaw was roundly criticised after England’s early World Cup exit last year and was replaced by Dylan Hartley. Has this put Itoje off wanting to lead the team? “I don’t like to pay too much attention to that. I just try to be the best player I can. It is flattering [to be discussed as a potential captain] but not really important because the people who are saying that are not the people making decisions.”

FEW rugby players of Nigerian descent have played for England. Itoje says he “hasn’t experienced any direct forms of racism”, but does he think rugby is still a posh game for white people? “That is a stereotype that does have some weight. Growing up, at school and club level, rugby was more diverse than it is in the professional and semi-professional set-up.” What can the sport do to change this? “Create more opportunities. The best schools in the country are normally public schools. If you look at the make-up of most England youth teams they mostly come from there.”

Equality for women in sport “needs to be looked at”, especially financially. “More sponsorship needs to go into the women’s game to help it grow to an equal level.”

It isn’t all hard graft for Itoje. He lives alone in Mill Hill in a house he recently bought and is decorating: “I have artwork coming. I’m a fan of African art. It’s nice to have your own space that reflects you.”

Teammate George Kruis, who is milling around, jokes about Itoje’s “penthouse — by the time his butler has brought his hot chocolate from the East to the West Wing it gets cold” but Itoje assures me this is “untrue and awful chat”. When he has time, he watches the Netflix show Narcos.

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After England won the Grand Slam he went out with the team and his family. “It was fairly boozy. The establishment we were in had all sorts of music. I like R’n’B and Motown. Spirits were high and it was nice to celebrate together but we had a flight the next day so it wasn’t out of control. I’m not a massive fan of beer or wine. I’m always in control of my body.”

Itoje admits that he is competitive. “Whatever I do I like to give a good account of myself. It’s partly innate, partly due to the way I was raised. Here it is a wildly competitive environment. Everyone wants to get the best out of everybody.” He is close to Kruis and says: “Whenever I start getting tired I usually hear a shout in my ear from him telling me to keep going.”

He continues: I’ve learned to manage pressure better. I used to get nervous but now I’m much more calm. It’s experience. If you want to be the best player you can be, you have to be disciplined in other aspects of your life. You can’t always do things other people your age are doing, so there are sacrifices, but when you have the opportunity to play for a club like this it’s worth it.”

Mark McCall, director of rugby at Saracens, says his attitude is paying off: “Maro has had a remarkable 12 months. He’s in a rush and he’ll only get better.” He’s learning from England head coach Eddie Jones, who he says is “an intelligent guy, very driven.”

Did Itoje cry when England won the Grand Slam? “I don’t cry. It was cool to be part of the first England team to win it in 13 years. It’s a joyful memory I’ll cherish for the rest of my years.”

Follow Susannah Butter: @susannahbutter

Maro Itoje plays for Saracens, who play Northampton Saints in the European Champions Cup quarter-final on April 9. For tickets visit saracens.com