Maro Itoje won’t be given an extended break by his club side Saracens despite the England captain, like his team, producing a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
Itoje, 31, overstepped the 30-game limit which is supposed to apply to English rugby’s top stars last season, captaining the British & Irish Lions to victory in Australia.
He was a late arrival into England’s Six Nations camp following the tragic loss of his mother Florence and then failed to hit his usual heights in the rest of the tournament.
Itoje was yellow-carded twice as England won just one game to finish fifth in what was statistically the worst Championship campaign in their history.
His poor form led to calls for Itoje to be given an extended period off to rest.
But on Tuesday, his club boss Mark McCall confirmed Itoje will miss Saracens’ PREM Rugby return with Bath on Friday night before then returning to domestic action.
Like his England team, Maro Itoje had a disappointing Six Nations but won’t have a long rest
England captain Itoje saw his team deliver statistically their worst Championship campaign
‘We’ll definitely rest Maro and Jamie George immediately,’ McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, said.
‘It’s been a very busy six or seven weeks for them. They’ve put a lot into those six or seven weeks, both physically and emotionally.
‘I think the right thing for those two players is to get a rest right away. There are obviously a few things to consider with Maro. He wants to play at the club.
‘He’s keen to get back. I’m sure he’ll be available for the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (against Northampton on March 28).
‘But he definitely needed a week away from a rugby environment.’
England’s players who played in all of the national team’s Six Nations matches must be rested in one of their club’s next three league matches.
McCall said he believed Itoje improved as the Championship wore on because he had actually not had many minutes in the early part of the campaign.
Itoje suffered delayed concussion symptoms after the Lions tour and then had a minor knee injury.
‘I don’t know if I agree with everything that’s been said around him [about form and rest],’ McCall said of Itoje.
‘This is not a season where he’s played that much. His best performance of the season was on Saturday night [in the defeat by France] by a long way.
‘He showed all of his qualities. The longer the competition went on, the better he was.’
Northampton’s England stars Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles are set for at least a month on the sidelines with hamstring and ankle injuries suffered on international duty.