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Maro Itoje left out of England squad for latest training camp


PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 14: Maro Itoje of England looks on as a TMO Review takes place, before Ellis Genge is shown a yellow card and France are awarded a penalty try, during the Guinness Six Nations 2026 match between France and England at Stade de France on March 14, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
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Maro Itoje has been left out of England’s latest training squad to continue the uncertainty over his involvement in the Nations Championship next month.

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Steve Borthwick revealed in May that he was considering resting his captain for all, or part, of the 25,000-mile July tour that comprises of fixtures against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.

Itoje, who has completed more Test minutes than any other player in the game since his debut in 2016, led the British and Irish Lions to a 2-1 series triumph against Australia last summer and could be stood down amid “ongoing conversations” with Borthwick.

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His name is missing from the 26-man squad who will take part in a three-day camp at England’s Surrey training base, although his Saracens colleagues Ben Earl, Theo Dan, Jamie George, Nick Isiekwe, Hugh Tizard, Noah Caluori and Tobias Elliott are present.

Saracens’ season ended with their Gallagher Prem defeat at Exeter on Saturday, so their contingent comes into contention for the uncapped international against a France XV in Vannes on June 19.

There are no players from Prem semi-finalists Bath, Northampton, Leicester and Exeter – who are in action this weekend – included in the squad.

Borthwick names England squad for three-day training camp

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England Rugby head coach Steve Borthwick has named a 26-player squad for a three-day training camp in preparation for the England XV v France XV match on Friday 19 June at Stade de la Rabine in Vannes, and ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship.

The squad, which does not include players involved in the PREM Play-Offs, assembles this afternoon (Tuesday 9 June) and will train at England’s Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park until Thursday.

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears) were not considered as they are rehabbing injuries.

England training squad:

Forwards:
Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Will Hobson (Harlequins)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Nathan Jibulu (Sale Sharks)
Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
George Kloska (Bristol Bears)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Hugh Tizard (Saracens)

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Backs:
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Noah Caluori (Saracens)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Ben Redshaw (Gloucester Rugby)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

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2 Comments
A
Ayre123 None 51 mins ago

He has been a passenger last 5 test seasons

U
Uther 1 hr ago

Good decision for Itoje. He needs a quiet summer and rest a little bit.

I would extend this rule to at least all the forwards that were on the BIL tour (Except those that have be injured during the season such as T. Curry) and even some players of the back division.

T. Freeman explained that he struggled to get back after the BIL tour. Give him a long vacation and he will come back fresh for a very long year. There is plenty of option on the wing for England and it’s always good to test new players in a competition that no one really cares about.

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