England knew that to beat France you have to score at least 40 points. Just look at South Africa at the 2023 World Cup - three knockout wins by a single point. Fix them, combine that with the intensity England showed in Paris, and suddenly you have a team not just competing with the best, but capable of beating the best. And it is worth remembering that this group also put together a 12-game winning run not that long ago. Alongside him, Ellis Genge, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Ben Earl and Tommy Freeman followed his lead and put in huge shifts. If England are to have any chance at the 2027 World Cup, an in-form Itoje, who is still learning his trade as an international captain, is absolutely pivotal.