Itoje omitted from England training squad as Nations Championship rest looms

Maro Itoje has been omitted from England’s 26-player training squad for a three-day camp at Pennyhill Park, raising fresh questions over whether the captain will feature in next month’s Nations Championship.

Head coach Steve Borthwick revealed in May that he was weighing up resting Itoje for all or part of the 25,000-mile July tour, which includes fixtures against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. The two are described as being in “ongoing conversations” about the decision.

The case for managing Itoje’s workload is clear. The Saracens lock has accumulated more Test minutes than any other player in the game since his international debut in 2016, and he captained the British and Irish Lions to a 2-1 series victory over Australia last summer.

The training camp, which assembled on Tuesday 9 June, serves as preparation for an uncapped England XV fixture against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June. Saracens players are now available following their Gallagher Premiership exit — a defeat at Exeter on Saturday — and several feature in the squad. Players from Premiership semi-finalists Bath, Northampton, Leicester and Exeter are absent, as those clubs remain in action this weekend.

The 26-man group is made up of forwards Arthur Clark, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Afolabi Fasogbon, Jamie George, Will Hobson, Nick Isiekwe, Nathan Jibulu, Jack Kenningham, George Kloska, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Hugh Tizard. The backs named are Charlie Atkinson, Seb Atkinson, Noah Caluori, Tobias Elliott, George Ford, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Cadan Murley, Raffi Quirke, Harry Randall, Ben Redshaw, Tom Roebuck and Marcus Smith.

Borthwick is expected to name a fuller squad for the Nations Championship once the Premiership play-offs conclude, at which point the question of Itoje’s involvement should be resolved.