England boss Steve Borthwick said on Wednesday that he will rest captain Maro Itoje for their forthcoming Nations Championship matches – unless injuries in the second row derail his plan.
Itoje is set to miss the tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July after a draining year.
The 31-year-old led the British and Irish Lions to a series victory against Australia in 2025, then played in the November internationals and the 2026 Six Nations campaign.
Itoje, who also had to deal with the death of his mother, has completed more test minutes than any other player over the last decade.
Borthwick is ready to let Itoje put his feet up, but he will wait to see if George Martin and Alex Coles emerge unscathed from their matches on Friday and Saturday.
Martin will start for England in their non-cap international against a France XV in Vannes on Friday before Coles plays for Northampton in the English Prem final against Exeter.
An injury to either would leave Borthwick with Itoje and Ollie Chessum as his only front line locks for their Nations Championship opener against South Africa on July 4.
"Maro's circumstances have been very specific and the right thing to do, in a best-case scenario, would be for him not to be with the England squad this summer," Borthwick said on Wednesday.
"Maro had a period this year where he was injured and had to deal with a personal situation on the back of captaining the Lions."
Borthwick added: "Any discussion with a player about missing an opportunity to represent their country is challenging. Maro is fully on board with the plan."