I MILLING ON the edge of the huddle of Saracens figures is one fan, waiting for the right moment to cut in and interrupt. And with a natural break in the flow of conversation, they seize their chance. Sorry mate, they throw at the figure in front of them, could I possibly, you know, er, maybe grab a photo?
“You don’t want a photo with me,” says the Saracens, England and Lions legend, Richard Hill MBE. “You want one with him over there – he’s the future!” Hill is grinning, pointing in the direction of young Maro Itoje, who’s almost startled.
This is in the nascent days of Itoje’s elite rugby career, and the scene plays out upstairs at the bar of the now StoneX Stadium during a sevens event. It’s all very casual but even then, few fans are clamouring for Itoje’s autograph. No one knew what lay ahead. Well, Hill did.
“I’ve had the fortune of knowing Richard Hill for many, many years now,” says England and Lions star Itoje, when he is reminded of that day. “I probably first met him
