Maro Itoje has been left out of England's latest training squad, and the omission has nothing to do with form. The captain was absent from the 26-man group Steve Borthwick named this week to prepare for a non-cap meeting with a France XV in Vannes on 19 June, with England openly weighing whether to rest their talisman for the entire July tour.
Itoje could be stood down for all three Nations Championship Tests — against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina — after a year that has stretched him further than any other player in the English game. He led the British and Irish Lions to a series win over Australia last summer, came through the autumn internationals and the Six Nations, and lost his mother in November. The 31-year-old has logged more Test minutes than anyone in the game since his debut in 2016.
England's head of performance, Phil Morrow, set out the thinking. "Maro's personal situation this year has been well documented," he said at the team's Surrey base. "If you take Maro's last 12 months, he has been captain of the Lions tour, there has been his personal life and the general fact that he plays a decent amount of rugby."
The decision, Morrow stressed, is being taken case by case. "We always treat players on an individual basis, so this week in particular we thought it was best that Maro stayed at home, spent some time with his family and just rested and recuperated," he said. "There are two weeks of the Premiership season left so we'll see what the next two weeks bring and then Steve will pick the final squad."
No final call has been made, and England are deliberately biding their time. Borthwick will watch this weekend's Gallagher Prem play-offs and the following week's final to see whether Itoje's fellow locks — Alex Coles, Ollie Chessum, George Martin and Charlie Ewels — come through unscathed. A serious injury in the second row could force a rethink before the opener against the world champions in Johannesburg on 4 July.
Morrow went further, framing the Itoje question as part of a wider argument about player welfare. He pointed to the sabbaticals New Zealand grant senior men such as Dan Carter, Ardie Savea and Scott Barrett, who are either given time off or allowed to pause their international careers for a short overseas stint. "Do I think it is a good idea? Probably," he said. "New Zealand have used it well in terms of giving people a break and then allowing them to come back fresh."
The obstacle, he conceded, is money. "In principle it would be great for someone to take six months off and get their body right — but who pays for the sabbatical? That's always the challenge when it comes to the payment structure."
Itoje's absence, combined with the Prem semi-finals ruling out players still in contention, opened the door for uncapped forwards. Saracens lock Hugh Tizard, Harlequins prop Will Hobson, Sale hooker Nathan Jibulu and Bristol tighthead George Kloska were all named, while Saracens wing Tobias Elliott and Gloucester's Ben Redshaw also came in. Bristol's South Africa-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg could feature against France before he qualifies on residency grounds in July.
England open the Nations Championship against South Africa on 4 July, then face Fiji in Liverpool and Argentina in Santiago del Estero. Whether their captain is on the plane remains, for now, an open question.
