Maro Itoje eyes perfect autumn as World Cup nears

England captain Maro Itoje has set his sights on winning all four of this autumn’s Test matches as he leads his side toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

England begin their campaign at home with a match against Australia on Saturday, followed by fixtures against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.

Itoje told reporters the squad believes no opponent is unbeatable.

“There’s not a team we’re playing who we can’t beat,” Itoje said.

“We want to go and win all our games. Every player should definitely aspire to that. Our fans should expect us to have the same mindset".

While the match against New Zealand on 15 November is viewed as the campaign highlight, Japan and Fiji remain difficult tests in their own right.

“The All Blacks are always tough. Whenever you get a result against them it’s a big deal and that’s within our capability. But first we have Australia in front of us and that’s our immediate focus.”

The England skipper also stressed the importance of this series as a building block toward 2027.

“Particularly for guys at the top, the four-year cycles are split into two and two. You want to be part of the Lions tour and then part of the World Cup,” said Itoje.

“They are the two big international landmarks where most of the world’s attention is on rugby in those periods.

“As a squad and as individuals, we want to do really well in 2027.

"But in order for us to do that and have the best chance, we have these really important games in the build-up".