Maro Itoje: On His Morning Routine, Consistency and AG1

AG1: How does the first hour differ between a training day, a match day and a day off?

MI: On a training day, there’s a clear structure: get up, get fuelled and get into work. On match day, everything works backwards from kick-off. I want to feel ready for when that whistle goes, so it is planning out both physically and mentally my touch points ahead of the match. A day off gives me a bit more freedom. It’s nice occasionally to have breakfast without having to be somewhere immediately afterwards.

AG1: What do you eat and drink first, and has that changed over the years?

MI: My usual breakfast is overnight oats. With experience through the years, you gather enough data and knowledge about yourself and your body to be more deliberate about how you prepare. Preparation for the game goes so far beyond just training – your entire environment matters, and of course nutrition is a key part of that. I’ve always eaten healthy and taken nutrition seriously but I’ve learned how to optimise through the years.

AG1: Is there a part of the morning you protect, even when the schedule is brutal?

MI: Having a little time before the demands of the day take over. It doesn’t need to be an elaborate ritual. Even being able to sit down for breakfast and gather my thoughts makes the morning feel less hurried.

AG1: How did you first come across AG1, and what was your honest first reaction?

MI: I first came across it through the relationship with England Rugby. My initial reaction was to ask questions. In professional sport, you’re introduced to plenty of products, so I want to understand what something is, why I would take it and whether it makes sense within my existing routine.

AG1: What do you check before anything goes into your routine?

MI: I want to understand the ingredients, the testing and the reason for taking it. I’d also want to discuss it with a relevant nutritionist or medical team. We’re tested as athletes and we need to ensure that anything we do take is certified and a positive inclusion within our routine.

AG1: As a tested athlete, how much does that matter in what you choose?

MI: It matters a great deal. I’m responsible for what goes into my body, so independent testing is an important consideration. AG1’s Informed Sport certification is part of that assessment. I still need to do the appropriate checks with my support team and make sure I’m checking the specific product and batch but it gives me the confidence immediately in the product that I know it has been certified already.

AG1: Why AG1, specifically? What made it the one?

MI: For me, the appeal is how straightforward it is to fit into a routine. Rugby takes up a lot of time and energy, and I have commitments outside it as well. I value something that’s simple to be consistent with. The testing matters, and so does understanding how it fits alongside the way I already eat and look after myself.

AG1: Where does it sit in your morning?

MI: I take it first thing in the morning. I see it as something that sits alongside proper meals, training and recovery. All of those still need attention.

AG1: What has made it easy to stick with?

MI: The simplicity. A habit has a much better chance of sticking if it fits into your day without requiring you to reorganise everything around it. Especially when you’re travelling or your schedule changes, having a familiar routine is useful.

AG1: People get suspicious of anything that sounds like a shortcut. What does a daily foundation mean to you?

MI: I understand that scepticism. You don’t get to skip the work. You still need to train properly, eat well, sleep and recover. A daily foundation means having habits you can repeat over time, including on the days when you’re busy or don’t particularly feel like doing them. Consistency is a big part of professional sport.

AG1: What is The Pearl Fund, and what are you trying to build with it?

MI: I’m very proud of my British-Nigerian heritage and through my many trips with family to Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, it became hugely apparent to me how many children are living in abject poverty and have no real means of escaping it. Nigeria has some of the highest rates of out of school children in the world.

I have had the privilege of working with a few charities in my career, but my concern has always been that these charities touch children’s lives for a short period of time, and these children find themselves still in poverty after contact with the charity has ended. So I launched The Pearl Fund in 2023 with a very deliberate depth-not-breadth approach.

We currently provide ‘cradle-to-college’ education for 40 children in one of Lagos’ most deprived areas at a private school, plus we fund extracurricular activities, uniforms, school supplies, transport, nutritional support, clean water and financial support for their families. We are trying to create an environment around them which allows them to focus on education rather than survival, to truly lift them out of poverty long-term.

Earlier this year, we expanded our support into the UK in partnership with Action Tutoring. Our first programme runs in Tower Hamlets, which has some of the highest poverty rates amongst children in London, to provide additional support to these children in English and Maths.

Education has played a huge role in my own life and I’m acutely aware of how where we are born, through no choice of our own, affects the opportunities we have in life. I want us to provide meaningful, sustained support, so more of those children have the chance to decide what their future looks like.

AG1: Tell us about The Akoje Gallery, and why art?

MI: My journey into art began when I was looking for African art for my first place in London. I couldn’t find much at all in London, and any I could was far beyond my price range at the time. My mum suggested we went to Lagos art markets next time we were in Nigeria, and I was completely blown away. Something about the texture, the vibrancy, the aliveness of it spoke to my soul. I co-founded Akoje Gallery with Khalil Akar to give these underrepresented artists from Africa, the Caribbean and diaspora a platform globally, and encourage cross-cultural exchange.

We founded Akoje Residency in 2024, where we aim to give artists from these regions the opportunity to live and work in other cultures and encourage this cross-cultural dialogue further. Our first programme is in partnership with The King’s Foundation at Dumfries House, where we offer fully-funded residencies on the estate, with access to workshops and classes, plus the opportunity to exhibit their works in London.

Art gives me a different kind of stimulation from rugby. A piece can draw you in visually and then lead you into a conversation about identity, history or somebody else’s experience. I’m particularly interested in how artists communicate their perspective. Helping more people encounter that work is something I find very rewarding.

AG1: In a hard stretch, what does having a routine do for you?

MI: It gives you somewhere to start. When results aren’t going your way, it’s easy to spend a lot of energy thinking about things you can’t change. A routine brings your attention back to what you can do today: prepare properly, recover, learn and be useful to the people around you. It doesn’t solve everything, but it helps you keep moving.

AG1: Every player has a stretch on the sidelines. What did yours teach you about patience and staying motivated?

MI: You learn that wanting to be ready and actually being ready are two different things. As a player, your instinct is to push, but sometimes being disciplined means listening and giving yourself time.

It also changes how you measure progress. The goal might be getting through a stage of rehab rather than performing on a Saturday. Those smaller steps matter, even when nobody else sees them.

Quick-Fire Round

Age, club, position, height: 32, Saracens, second row who can also play flanker, 6ft 6.

Breakfast in three words: AG1, eggs, plantain.

Your go-to meal after a match: Jollof rice and mixed meat stew.

The last thing you read that stuck with you: Born a Crime – Trevor Noah. A compelling memoir which tells a story where Trevor is navigating the struggle of South African History with the future it is trying to create. A book where politics, history and comedy are all intertwined.

One thing you would tell your younger self: Be patient with your progress, but ambitious about where you can go.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.