{"id":966801,"date":"2026-05-17T14:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/966801\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T14:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:52:12","slug":"england-captain-maro-itoje-to-be-stood-down-by-steve-borthwick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/966801\/","title":{"rendered":"England captain Maro Itoje to be stood down by Steve Borthwick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Maro Itoje\u00a0could be handed a much-needed summer break after a relentless 2025 in which the England captain has had little opportunity to catch his breath \u2014 or spend quality time with his wife.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/rugby-union\/2026\/05\/17\/maro-itoje-left-out-of-england-squad-nations-championship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>,\u00a0Steve Borthwick\u00a0is considering resting Itoje for some or all of England\u2019s Nations Championship fixtures this summer.<\/p>\n<p>The demanding schedule sees England travel to\u00a0South Africa, host\u00a0Fiji\u00a0and then fly to\u00a0Argentina, a gruelling itinerary involving around 25,000 miles across three continents.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/JKHnreYOVE66vRd1rAQI1E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community<\/a> for all the latest news direct to your phone.<\/p>\n<p>Workload and injury concerns behind the decision<\/p>\n<p>Borthwick will announce an extended training squad on Monday, with Itoje expected to be included in the initial camp even if he is ultimately rested for one or more of the matches.<\/p>\n<p>The move is being considered as part of England\u2019s player welfare strategy. In each of the last two seasons, Itoje has exceeded the\u00a0Rugby Football Union\u2019s recommended workload by playing more than 30 matches.<\/p>\n<p>This season alone, the 31-year-old second row has featured 20 times for club and country despite dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered on the\u00a0British &amp; Irish Lions\u00a0tour and an ongoing knee issue.<\/p>\n<p>One of England\u2019s most decorated forwards<\/p>\n<p>Widely regarded as one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruck.co.uk\/the-ten-best-locks-in-the-world-ranked-10-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">finest locks of his generation<\/a>, Itoje has won multiple\u00a0Premiership Rugby\u00a0titles and European Cups with\u00a0Saracens\u00a0and has been a central figure for England for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Any decision to rest Itoje would not impact his status as England captain heading into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Who could lead England in his absence?<\/p>\n<p>In Itoje\u2019s absence, potential stand-in captains include\u00a0Ellis Genge,\u00a0Jamie George\u00a0and\u00a0Ollie Chessum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>England Summer Tour Fixtures (2026)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>England\u2019s summer tour shapes up as a serious test across three very different rugby environments:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>South Africa vs England<\/strong><br \/>\ud83d\udccd Ellis Park, Johannesburg<br \/>\ud83d\udcc5 4 July 2026<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fiji vs England<\/strong><br \/>\ud83d\udccd Hill Dickinson Stadium (Everton)<br \/>\ud83d\udcc5 11 July 2026<\/li>\n<li><strong>Argentina vs England<\/strong><br \/>\ud83d\udccd Venue TBC<br \/>\ud83d\udcc5 18 July 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is a brutal run\u2014altitude in South Africa, flair against Fiji, and physicality in Argentina.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Props<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ellis Genge<\/li>\n<li>Mako Vunipola<\/li>\n<li>Fin Baxter<\/li>\n<li>Joe Heyes<\/li>\n<li>Asher Opoku-Fordjour<\/li>\n<li>Afolabi Fasogbon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Summary:<\/strong><br \/>A powerful and evolving unit. Genge sets the tone physically, Vunipola adds experience, and the younger options bring mobility and long-term promise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hookers<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jamie George<\/li>\n<li>Kepu Tuipulotu<\/li>\n<li>Tom Dunn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Summary:<\/strong><br \/>George remains the cornerstone with his leadership and set-piece accuracy. Dunn adds physical edge, while Tuipulotu is a high-upside development option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second Row<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Courtney Lawes<\/li>\n<li>Ollie Chessum<\/li>\n<li>Charlie Ewels<\/li>\n<li>Alex Coles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Summary:<\/strong><br \/>An elite engine room. Itoje leads the charge, Lawes adds experience and presence, while Chessum and Coles provide athleticism and lineout strength.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Back Row<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Guy Pepper<\/li>\n<li>Henry Pollock<\/li>\n<li>Chandler Cunningham-South<\/li>\n<li>Ben Earl<\/li>\n<li>Tom Curry<\/li>\n<li>Greg Fisilau<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Summary:<\/strong><br \/>Highly competitive and dynamic. Earl and Curry are standout performers, supported by a group full of energy, versatility, and breakdown ability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Maro Itoje\u00a0could be handed a much-needed summer break after a relentless 2025 in which the England captain has&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":966802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-966801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116590487001637099","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=966801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/966802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=966801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=966801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=966801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}