Locks Maro Itoje and James Ryan will be key as England and Ireland face off

The two men may well line up alongside each other for the next Lions tour but Itoje will not ‘waste time’ by focusing on his rivalEven if Maro Itoje and James Ryan did not play international rugby in the same position the pair would have a lot in common. In addition to being the forward totems of their respective nations they have both studied politics at university and share a strong sense of cultural history, with Itoje particularly fascinated by Nigeria’s past and Ryan’s great-grandfather having been involved in the 1916 Easter Rising.Next summer it is quite possible the two men will have p…