Jamie George has revealed he found out his mum was diagnosed with cancer on the same day he was appointed England captain.

George’s mum, Jane, sadly passed away from the illness on 14 February, just two days before he took part in an open training session in front of 10,000 fans at Twickenham.

Read more: Jamie George named captain

The Saracens hooker, who replaced his friend and club-mate Owen Farrell in the role, was named skipper before the 2024 Six Nations.

“It’s been really tough,’ he said. “I found out about her cancer diagnosis on the same day I found out I was going to be England captain, so that was a pretty mixed day.

“She was the biggest rugby fan on earth. She loved this team, loved watching me play. She never missed a game. The text I’ve got from her before my first game (as captain) is something I’ll treasure forever. She said it was the proudest day of her life. Given what she was going through to still be able to put a smile on her face is huge.”

Jamie George and his late mother, Jane (Jamie George Instagram)

George’s mum and dad, Ian, would never miss a match and travelled the world following their son. He attributed rugby as one reason why his family are so close.

“She was a very proud woman, she was absolutely incredible with everything she did for me and my brothers, he said. “It is hard to put into words. Rugby was a massive part of her life — I think it has kept our family together in certain ways and it goes to show what an incredible sport this is.

“Until the end, she was a die-hard Saracens and England rugby fan. It is amazing to have been able to have given her such an incredible life, travelling around the world following my games. Her and my dad would travel everywhere and I know she found a lot of joy following this team.”

George will once again captain England on Saturday as the team face Scotland in the Six Nations. England have not beaten Scotland in the tournament since 2020 and George says he is using family pride as a motivator.

“That has always been my motivation; making friends and family proud,” he added. “It will probably be multiplied this weekend, but when you get into the arena, when you step on to the field, it’s actually quite a nice feeling to be able to forget everything that has happened previously.

“Of course, I want to win for her and I want to win in her memory, but I’m fully aware that Scotland aren’t going to allow us to do that. It would be an amazing story, it would be an amazing situation for my family, but regardless of the result, I’m going out there to make her proud and make my family in the stands proud too.”

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