Maro Itoje will be unable to train during England’s first camp ahead of the autumn series in order to manage the concussion sustained in the final Test for the British and Irish Lions against Australia.
A big name omission from the 36-man squad picked by Steve Borthwick is Owen Farrell, whose return to Saracens for the upcoming season makes him eligible for selection.
Itoje, the current England captain, will be present for the three-day camp in Surrey that runs until Tuesday but will not spend any time on the field.
Back in camp 🏕️
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 14, 2025
Steve Borthwick has named a 36-player squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the forthcoming @QuilterNations.@O2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/XZJWFZlw7G
The 30-year-old Lions skipper failed an HIA after 27 minutes of the third Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on August 2 and has been stood down from training as Borthwick begins plotting the downfall of Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina this autumn.
England’s Lions stars miss the opening two rounds of the Gallagher Premier as part of the post-tour mandatory rest period and Saracens have given Itoje an additional week off before reporting for pre-season.
While there is currently no concern over Itoje’s availability for the autumn, Farrell’s prospects of being involved have receded with his absence from the camp.
The 33-year-old was last month overlooked for one of England’s 25 elite player squad contracts despite swapping Racing 92 for Saracens and proving his fitness as a late call-up to the Lions tour.
Now Borthwick has given a stronger indication of his thinking for November by picking George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as his fly-halves and looking to Ollie Lawrence, Seb Atkinson and Fraser Dingwall as his inside centre options.
Tom Curry, Elliot Daly, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Will Stuart join Itoje in being given the camp to rehab injuries alongside England’s medical team.
