Maro Itoje, 26, is a 6ft 5in, 18st Saracens and England rugby player, who has been residing at the England camp at the Lensbury hotel, Teddington, for the Six Nations Championship.

Nicknamed "the Pearl" for his rare skills at second row or flanker, he is tipped as a future captain of England and the British and Irish Lions.

In the early 1990s his parents moved from Nigeria to northwest London, where Itoje was born. He won a sixth form scholarship to Harrow School, studied politics at Soas and is studying for an MBA.

Last month he launched a campaign calling on ministers to get free laptops and broadband into the homes of 1.78 million deprived children.

Our longest day of the week in camp is Tuesday. I'm up at 6am for "Bacon and Eggs" — there's no bacon or eggs involved; it's a weights session that starts at 6.30.

After that I'll shower and breakfast is at 7. I look forward to breakfast every day. There's quite a spread: salmon, ham, avocado, overnight oats, fruit, porridge, all kinds of eggs and an omelette station.

No greasy sausages or bacon — well, maybe once a week. We have a rugby skills session at 10. I get there half an hour early to warm up, tape anything that needs taping, look at any plays I need to know. We'll be done by 11.30.

I wear a head guard because I don't want to get cauliflower ears. Do I worry about concussion? Not at all. I hope that Steve Thompson and all those players who are suffering as a result of concussion [Thompson, 42, and other former players with dementia are suing World Rugby and the RFU over an alleged failure to protect them] get the support they and their families need.

The game is in a different place now than when they were playing; the culture has changed. The guidelines about dealing with concussion are a lot clearer. Previously you would get a concussion and the "admirable" thing would be to play on. You don't have that peer pressure now.

Lunch in camp changes every day. There's always a carb option, a protein option and a lot of vegetables. Around lunchtime we have a squad meeting in an open-sided marquee — I'll wear about four heavy layers.

All our meetings are in outdoor spaces. There's a fire pit here too. And a giant chessboard. I don't play, but quite a few do: Manu Tuilagi is like a grandmaster. Mako Vunipola, Owen Farrell and Jonny May have also started playing a lot.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Ben Youngs etc — they spend a bit of time gaming, maybe Fortnite, Call of Duty; I don't really keep track. I'm one of the few who aren't into gaming.

The afternoon is rugby training. Any spare time for me is filled with studying for my MBA. It's all preparation for my life post-rugby, and it helps me think about things differently.

From almost the day I came out of the womb my parents pounded into me and my siblings the importance of education — I have an older brother and a younger sister; I live with my brother in northwest London.

I went to St George's boarding school in Harpenden, where rugby was the dominant sport. Some of my closest friends are from that school — I speak to them almost every day. After my GCSEs I went to Harrow — the extracurricular activities there are second to none.

People often talk about education as a social leveller. But the result of these lockdowns is that children who don't have access to technology and data are being denied that opportunity.

If nothing is done, the inequality between the haves and have-nots gets wider and wider. That's why I've been trying to lend a helping hand.

Dinner is at 6.30. I had a great seafood paella a couple of days ago. I'm not watching much TV at the moment, but I do listen to podcasts — there's a good one called Pearl Conversations — Ha! [This is Itoje's own podcast; guests have included his England team-mate Kyle Sinckler.]

Kyle's my guy. I get on really well with him.

I try to go to bed by 10.30. I sleep OK, some nights better than others. I always have things on my mind — my degree, rugby, family. It's all part of life, isn't it?

Words of wisdom

Best advice I was given

'The truth will set you free'

Advice I'd give

'Honesty is the best policy'

What I wish I'd known

'Part of life is discovery — I'm happy to discover new things as life goes on'

Teddington Nub News would like to express its gratitude to the Sunday Times Magazine for giving permission to publish this article.