I feared my England career was finished, George admits

Jamie George questioned whether he had an England future after being left hurt by Steve Borthwick's decision to strip him of the captaincy on the eve of the Six Nations.

- Gerard Meagher

George said he was blindsided by the England head coach but after receiving advice from his inner circle – including the Saracens director, Mark McCall, Owen Farrell, and his family – he has set his sights on a fourth World Cup, revealing the cricketer Joe Root is his inspiration.

The hooker was installed as captain for the 2023 Six Nations and despite a difficult run of results in his year in charge – England won five of their 12 Tests – George was a hugely popular leader, both within the squad and among supporters.

Borthwick's decision to turn to Maro Itoje came out of the blue, with George informed the day before England's squad for the championship was announced. Compounding matters, the 34-year-old sustained a hamstring injury in Saracens' Champions Cup match against Castres later that week, ruling him out of England's training camp in Girona as well as their opening defeat against Ireland in Dublin.

It was during that period that George went soul-searching but, as he prepares to win his 100th England cap against Italy on Sunday, he cites the manner Root has flourished at the crease since losing the Test captaincy to Ben Stokes in 2022 as proof that deposed captains can continue to make an impact at international level.