England rests Maro Itoje for South Africa Test to manage workload
England have rested Maro Itoje for South Africa and the rest of the summer, backing workload management over short-term disruption.
England have rested Maro Itoje for the 4 July Test against South Africa. Richard Wigglesworth said the move was the right call for a 31-year-old who has carried a heavy load for club and country.
Itoje has gone past World Rugby’s recommended ceiling of 30 matches in each of the past two seasons, and Steve Borthwick had already said that he may need a break after England’s latest international window was mapped out. Borthwick said Itoje began the season with lingering concussion symptoms and has also been managing a knee injury, while the England head coach and performance chief Phil Morrow had been in ongoing conversations with the lock before he joined camp and then left after one night.
Wigglesworth, who played alongside Itoje at Saracens and England, said, “I'm incredibly happy that we've been able to do right by him.” He added that Itoje had “had a lot on over the last few years” and said England were fortunate to have enough strength in depth in the second row to absorb his absence. He also said Itoje would “come back better” after the break.
England are about to enter the new Nations Championship, a format that pits six northern hemisphere sides against six southern hemisphere teams across two Test windows before November play-offs. England will face South Africa in Johannesburg, Fiji in Liverpool and Argentina in Santiago del Estero, a schedule that brings long-haul travel and high-intensity fixtures into a compressed calendar.
George Martin returned to the England set-up in April after a 14-month injury lay-off, while Northampton’s Alex Coles emerged as one of the few bright spots in a disappointing Six Nations. Ollie Chessum, who impressed in the final-round defeat by France, offers another second-row option and can also cover blindside flanker.
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