Itoje has become one of the most marketable athletes in the sport, having recently extended his influence into the podcasting world during last year’s lockdown with Pearl Conversations, and featuring in his cousin Beno Obano’s rugby documentary Everybody’s Game, about the difficulties of being a BAME athlete in the world of rugby.
So this recent coup by Under Armour will be seen as a boon for the supplier, which lost the Wales kit deal two years ago. Although a majority of the England team sport adidas footwear, they have still lost one of their most well recognised athletes, with Itoje being one of the few players who’s influence extends beyond the traditional paradigm of the sport. He wore adidas Kakari Elite boots as recently as the Autumn Nations Cup, so this change looks to be a fresh one. Perhaps, given that Itoje was signed by Jay-Z’s talent agency Roc Nation late last year, this new deal could be a consequence of that change in management.
If he has decided to move to Under Armour boots, it’s surprising there hasn’t been any mention from the supplier on his recent change in apparel. The superstar second-row’s game has been stellar regardless of what he’s wearing on the pitch, and will almost certainly continue to be as we head into the rest of the Six Nations tournament and the potential Lions tour to South Africa.