By Mike Henson
Last year, the Akoje Gallery funded residencies for seven artists to spend time developing their work at the stately Dumfries House in rural Ayrshire in Scotland.
Itoje also set up the Pearl Fund, which helps disadvantaged children in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He has a keen interest in politics. He has a degree in it from SOAS, University of London. He has since earned a Masters degree in business as well.
As a teenage travelling reserve for Saracens, he spent a coach trip to Newcastle composing poetry., external More recently he has trodden the catwalk as a model.
In April, at a Downing Street reception to mark St George’s Day, he was the star turn, giving a speech in which he talked about Englishness and identity.
“I believe human beings are multi-faceted, we are not a monolith,” he said.
“I am a rugby player, I am an athlete, but that is what I do, not who I am. I have other interests.”
He finished by jokily making a play for the job of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was standing next to him.
The breadth of his interests and the depth of his thought have triggered suspicion in some.
Former England coach Eddie Jones publicly doubted whether Itoje was captaincy material. Jones claimed Itoje was “very inward-looking” and lacked influence over his team-mates.
Itoje politely, but firmly, disagreed. So far, events seem to support the younger man.
Itoje’s clear, calm 80-minute leadership carried England to a second-place finish in this year’s Six Nations.
At Saracens, footage of his pep talks – passionate, canny and expletive-free – have been engaging viewing., external
The Lions are another level. There is more scrutiny, and fewer home comforts.
As he approaches the pinnacle though, Itoje has perspective.
Except, perhaps, about the hair.
“I hope not,” he smiles when asked about the prospect of accidentally acquiring a mullet down under.
“That would be quite bad.”