England Rugby: Maro Etoje to ‘come back with a bang’ after break

England senior assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth says captain Maro Itoje is right to be out for next month’s titanic encounter with world champions South Africa.

Etoje has been given a break from rugby for the July 4 match against the Springboks as well as the Tests against Fiji and Argentina next weekend.

The 31-year-old is over World Rugby’s recommended 30-match limit for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

He captained the British and Irish Lions in Australia last summer and will lead England to the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.

“I’m incredibly happy that we were able to do it right,” Wigglesworth said.

“He’s been through a lot, not just last year, but whatever the end of his career has been. So we’re lucky to be in this position with his strength in that position and Maro’s going to take his break.”

Leicester’s George Martin returned to the England squad in April after returning from a 14-month injury layoff, while the progress of Northampton lock Alex Coles was one of the few positives from a disappointing Six Nations campaign.

Ollie Chesum, who suffered a last-round defeat in France, is the other second-row option but could feature in the blind side. Bath’s Charlie Ewells and Gloucester’s Arthur Clarke are part of the Nations Championship team.

Wigglesworth, who played with Etoje at Saracens and in England, backed the captain to “come back better”.

“Maro, like everyone else, makes good use of his time, so I’m looking forward to meeting him after he gets some rest and is flying,” he added.

The format of the new Nations Championship – which pits six Northern Hemisphere teams against their six Southern rivals in two test windows, culminating in weekend knockout matches in November – has given England a trial run.

After playing the Springboks in Johannesburg, Fiji will face Liverpool and Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

However, Wigglesworth played down concerns about how the trip would affect his preparations, adding that the Northampton and Exeter players will fly to South Africa on Wednesday with the rest of the squad, although they will join them on Monday after competing in the Premier League final last weekend.

“We all stick together on this,” he said. “It’s an exciting challenge that we won’t back down from.

“There will be some adjustments over the course of two training sessions, but we’ll be well prepared for the way we’re going.

“There are people who do more serious things than some business-class flights, so we’ll be right there.”