Saracens are keeping the captaincy of the club on the shoulders of another former Harpenden Rugby Club junior and ex-St George's School pupil.

Maro Itoje has been confirmed as the man to officially take over from Owen Farrell, himself a former pupil of the Sun Lane school and another who graced the turf at the Redbourn Lane club.

Itoje, who also played for Old Albanian, has signed a new long-term deal at the StoneX Stadium as he looks to add to his 181 appearances so far.

And the 29-year-old, who made his debut for the club in 2013, could not hide his pride at the news.

He said: "I am extremely humbled and honoured to be asked to captain this special club. I have been here since I was 14 and it has been an amazing journey.

"I love this club and I feel that we are in a very exciting place with the talent and the people here, the energy we have and the direction we are going. 

"The great thing about team sports is I won’t be doing it alone, we have lots of leaders in this group and together we can create something really special."

Director of rugby Mark McCall added: "You don’t come across many people like Maro. From his early days in our academy, we all knew we were witnessing the development of someone special.

"He is the epitome of a Saracens player: fiercely dedicated to his craft, kind and compassionate to his teammates, and diligent in pursuing his education and charity work away from the field.

"He has always led by example.

"Maro has Saracens in his DNA, and we are delighted he will captain the team and lead this club into its next chapter."

Itoje has won five Premiership titles and three European Cups, being named European player of the year in 2016.

He has also gained 84 caps for England as well as six caps across two tours for the British & Irish Lions.