Pat Lam held back three players for fear of injury on Saracens pitch

Saracens head coach Joe Shaw insisted Maro Itoje’s summer break has given him a “new lease of life” after watching the England captain star in a 30-7 victory over Bristol.

Itoje was named man of the match in a bonus-point Gallagher Prem rout of the Bears at the StoneX Stadium as he continues to benefit from being stood down from England’s July tour.

The 31-year-old played blindside flanker rather than his customary position of second-row and reacted to the positional switch with a high-energy performance full of high-impact defending.

Shaw said: “Maro was unbelievable. England and the club have given him a new lease of life by giving him the summer off. It’s the first one he’s had since he was 19.

“He had a full pre-season with us. He’s been able to stay with his family and properly recover from what was a long season during which some things happened in his personal life.

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“He’s as fresh as a daisy. He’s training so well. His body’s in good nick. It’ll benefit not just us, but it’ll benefit England in the long run going into next year’s World Cup.”

Itoje was well supported by fellow seasoned campaigners Owen Farrell and Ben Earl while Noah Caluori and Jack Bracken brought youthful energy to the wings, scoring one try each.

Shaw is backing Caluori and Bracken, who are both 20, to shine together for England in the future. Caluori made his Test debut on the July tour, while Bracken is uncapped.

“They are bright stars. We know Noah scores tries, he’s world class in the air and this was his first game since coming back,” Shaw said.

“Jack has something which scares everyone – electrifying pace. They are try-scorers. They are big men. They can beat people.

“England are spoilt for players on the outside – as we are at our club – but why can’t they play for England? They are both bright stars who could turn into superstars.”

Bristol boss Pat Lam revealed he rested Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua for the trip to north London rather than risk them getting injured on Saracens’ artificial pitch.

Lam said: “They came off big injuries last year and so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch.

“If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played.”