Friday 16 November 2018 15:11, UK
England forward Maro Itoje says being vice-captain against Japan will not affect his performance at Twickenham.
With both co-captains Dylan Hartley and Owen Farrell on the bench, George Ford leads the team at Twickenham with Itoje his deputy.
The forward told Sky Sports News: "Fortunately I have vice-captain next to my name this week but not much changes for me.
"I'm still planning to go out there and play my game and support Ford when I can and lead the boys as well as I can.
"Probably from the outside you think that because we're playing a team lower ranked than us, it's an opportunity to switch off or turn it down a little bit, but that's definitely not the case."
Itoje revealed the players have been working on their lineouts, which was a big weakness in the second half of their 16-15 defeat to New Zealand.
"I think it's important to understand the reasons why that happened. We didn't adapt well enough to the conditions and to what the All Blacks were doing in the second half.
"It wasn't Jamie George's fault, it was a collective of things that went wrong. I'm fortunate enough to play with Jamie and I know how good he is.
"He's actually one of the best throwers I've worked with, if not the best thrower. We'll work hard to rectify it.
"Japan have a very good lineout, they are a very well-drilled side and they have a lot of good jumpers so it's going to be interesting again."
Head coach Eddie Jones said this week the team "want to smash Japan", and the Saracens player is using the tough talk as inspiration.
"I actually like it when Eddie speaks like that, it sets a level for us to meet and hopefully we'll go out there and do the shirt justice," Itoje added.
"There is no doubt this is a big game. We've prepared well and hopefully we'll give a good performance at the weekend.
"We're fortunate enough to have some insight into Japan through our two coaches Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick, who have coached them for a number of years.
"The boys are very excited so it should be a joyous occasion, hopefully."
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