Maro Itoje has lifted the lid on when he plans to call time on his glittering career \u2013 and the countdown is officially on.<\/p>\n
Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local\u00a0Greene King sports pub<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking to\u00a0The Times\u00a0in July 2025<\/a>, the Saracens lock revealed he intends to retire at 35. With Itoje currently 31, that sets his exit for 2029.<\/p>\n That timeline leaves just\u00a0one more Rugby World Cup\u00a0in an England shirt.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to go out on my terms\u201d<\/p>\n Itoje was clear that his decision is about control, longevity and legacy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m 35. That\u2019s a healthy age to retire. It\u2019s a good age to throw yourself at a new challenge and it gives me a good four years to really dip into the rugby.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to leave rugby when I\u2019m clinging on. I want to go out on my terms, while I\u2019m fit.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a typically measured response from a player who has built a career on discipline, intelligence and elite standards. No hanging on for one season too many. No fading quietly. Just a firm line in the sand.<\/p>\n One last World Cup shot<\/p>\n If everything goes to plan, Itoje will enter the next global tournament in his mid-30s \u2013 battle-hardened, experienced and still central to England\u2019s pack. After that, the curtain falls.<\/p>\n For a player who debuted as a 21-year-old phenom and became one of the faces of English rugby, 2029 suddenly doesn\u2019t feel far away.<\/p>\n His toughest opponent? An All Blacks icon<\/p>\n During the same Q&A, Itoje was also asked about the most formidable opponent he\u2019s faced. His answer: former\u00a0Kieran Read\u00a0captain and All Blacks legend.<\/p>\n Itoje admitted he initially underestimated the world-class No.8.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore playing him, my analysis was \u2018not that big; can\u2019t be that strong\u2019. Wrong.<\/p>\n He carried hard, he tackled hard, he was a great lineout jumper, and he was so clever. He was as complete a back-row forward as one could get.\u201d<\/p>\n High praise from one of the game\u2019s premier second-rows.<\/p>\n With four years left on the clock, Itoje\u2019s mission is simple: empty the tank, chase silverware, and ensure that when 35 arrives, he walks away with nothing left to give.<\/p>\n