Itoje Granted Extended Break Amidst Demanding Schedule
England's senior assistant coach, Richard Wigglesworth, has expressed strong approval for the decision to rest captain Maro Itoje from the upcoming series of Test matches, which includes a significant fixture against world champions South Africa on July 4th. Itoje will also sit out subsequent matches against Fiji and Argentina, allowing him an extended period away from the sport.
This decision comes as Itoje, 31, has surpassed World Rugby's recommended limit of 30 matches per season in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns. His recent commitments include captaining the British and Irish Lions in Australia last summer and his anticipated leadership role for England in next year's Rugby World Cup, also in Australia.
"I'm incredibly happy that we've been able to do right by him," Wigglesworth stated. "He has had a lot on, not just last year but for the last however many years of his career, so we are lucky to be in that position with the strength in depth in that position - so Maro is going to take his rest."
The England squad boasts several strong options in Itoje's position. George Martin of Leicester returns to the fold after recovering from a 14-month injury layoff. Northampton's Alex Coles, whose development was a highlight of the recent Six Nations, is another second-row contender. Ollie Chessum, who performed well against France, could also feature in the second row or at blindside flanker. Bath's Charlie Ewels and Gloucester's Arthur Clark are also part of the Nations Championship squad.
Wigglesworth, who previously played alongside Itoje for Saracens and England, believes the rest will benefit the captain. "What Maro does as well as anyone is use his time really well, so I'm looking forward to catching up after he's had a bit of rest and he's flying," he added.
Challenging Itinerary for England
The new Nations Championship format presents England with a demanding schedule. Following their match against the Springboks in Johannesburg, they will travel to Liverpool to face Fiji, and then to Santiago del Estero for a clash with Argentina. Despite concerns about the extensive travel, Wigglesworth downplayed its potential impact on preparations, noting that players from Northampton and Exeter would join the squad in South Africa shortly after their Prem final.
"We're all going to stick together on this," Wigglesworth affirmed. "It is an exciting challenge that we're not going to shy away from. There will be some adaptions on a couple of training sessions, but we get well looked after with how we travel. There's people doing far tougher things than some business-class flights, so we'll be right."
South Africa's Preparations and Pollock's Impact
South Africa's coach, Rassie Erasmus, admitted uncertainty regarding England's tactical approach at Ellis Park, especially after their unprecedented four defeats in the recent Six Nations. "Tactically, Steve [Borthwick, England head coach] is someone who works with numbers and chases trends, and that's always difficult to prepare against," Erasmus commented. "If I say we know exactly what they'll do next Saturday, I'd be lying."
Erasmus has bolstered his backroom staff with former England personnel, including defence coach Felix Jones and chief analyst Joe Lewis, who joined the Springboks in February and March, respectively. Andy Edwards, formerly Saracens' strength and conditioning coach, also joined South Africa in 2020.
Regarding England's Henry Pollock, Erasmus expressed support for the 21-year-old back-row player, despite some critical comments from South African pundits about his on-pitch demeanor. Schalk Burger famously described Pollock as "a Tik-Tok dancer who plays some rugby," while Duane Vermeulen, now an assistant to Erasmus, noted that "there's a hell of a lot of people that obviously dislike him."
Erasmus defended Pollock, comparing him to his own captain, Siya Kolisi: "People make a big deal about certain players, but I don't always think the players themselves want that attention. What counts is what they do on the field, and recently, he's been doing that. If I were coaching him, I'd only look at his output, and that has been exceptional."