Maro Itoje: 'The clock is ticking but a lot of people are comfortable with the status quo'

Maro Itoje is on the Cote d’Azur to face Toulon in a clash between clubs who have been kings of Europe for six of the last nine years.

It might be the secondary Challenge Cup but this semi-final is a star-studded match-up - and it has Saracens’ England lock buzzing.

Itoje lives for the big occasion and reveals he is frustrated by the pace of progress in his sport and rugby’s failure to really build its profile.

“Rugby is very good at speaking to its own market, at preaching to the choir,” he said. “There’s an awful lot of room for improvement.”

He urges the sport to cast its net wider, to be more inclusive and diverse and to work harder to attract more talent.

He wants it to sharpen its act when it comes to marketing itself against other more media-savvy sports.

“There’s no way you can tell me Formula One is more exciting than rugby. It is not,” said Itoje. “Yet it’s definitely packaged better.

“We need to cross-connect and reach new territories. Engage with those outside the stereotypical rugby world. Be more imaginative. Test the waters.

“If rugby is able to do that you will see a growth in the sport, a growth in engagement, a growth in participation.

“If the status quo remains, we’ll get the same results. You can’t expect anything different.”

Rugby bosses might counter that the World Cup went to Japan last time and in 2031 will break new ground when it is staged in the United States.

Just this week key stakeholders are in talks to try to create a biennial north versus south Nations Championship aimed at bringing more meaning to the July and November Test windows.

But as things stand rugby’s two hemispheres are completely out of kilter and the major competitions for club and country, bar France’s Top 14, are