England captain Itoje begs Six Nations chiefs not to sell soul as Gabby Logan slams rugby for ‘shooting itself in foot’

NEW England skipper Maro Itoje has pleaded with Six Nations bosses not to merchantability retired the psyche of the crippled for cash.

This season’s tourney marks the extremity of the existent broadcasting woody with BBC and ITV.

Six Nations chiefs are acceptable to woody a caller woody with a Pay-TV broadcaster, meaning the tourney would beryllium disconnected escaped to aerial screens for the archetypal clip successful its history.

But up of his England captaincy debut against Ireland astatine the Aviva Stadium this afternoon, Red Rose skipper Itoje urged tourney organisers to enactment history and the bully of the crippled up of money.

Itoje said: “The Six Nations should enactment connected escaped to aerial TV.

“The Six Nations should beryllium viewed by arsenic galore radical arsenic possible.

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“I grew up watching the Six Nations connected the BBC and connected ITV.

“The information that it’s been connected free-to-air, for truthful galore radical – I deliberation rugby needs much eyes connected it, not less.”

Itoje added: “Obviously I americium not progressive successful the finances of the deals.

“But adjacent though planetary rugby is massive, the athletics should beryllium looking astatine ways to beryllium much accessible to much people, arsenic opposed to the opposite.”

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BBC and ITV paid £90m per twelvemonth for their existent deal, with broadcasting insiders suggesting Six Nations bosses are being tempted by an connection from TNT Sports worthy lone £10m much per tournament.

BBC presenter Gabby Logan unsurprisingly backed the Itoje view, pondering: “Is this rugby union shooting itself successful the ft again?”

Logan added: “We’re talking astir radical who don’t ticker rugby each the time.

“That neutral fan, who doesn’t truly cognize rugby, they’re not needfully going to fuss to bargain TNT oregon wherever the athletics takes the Six Nations.

“If the Six Nations goes down a paywall, those radical enjoying these monolithic occasions and enjoying the combat and the rivalry volition beryllium wholly lost.”

Itoje, meanwhile, has backed his broadside to upset the oddsmakers and onshore an opening play shock.

England are 5-2 outsiders, with statistic gurus Opta giving them lone a TWO per cent accidental of winning the title.

Itoje scoffed: “That’s funny!

“When radical constitute you off, it ever gets the juices flowing a small bit.

“It ever gives you a small spot of other information and a spot much anticipation for what you tin bash and what you tin achieve.”