London: England captain Maro Itoje expressed his initial surprise when head coach Steve Borthwick suggested he take a summer break from international duty. Itoje, who missed England's matches against South Africa, Fiji, and Argentina in July, spent his summer holidaying in Mauritius and Nigeria, marking his first substantial break from professional rugby in over a decade.

According to BBC, the 31-year-old, whose mother passed away shortly before he led England through a challenging Six Nations campaign, has found significant benefits from his time away. Itoje shared, "I spoke to Steve Borthwick two weeks after the Six Nations, and at the end of a long conversation, he mentioned we would have to think about what to do in the summer. I was taken aback a bit—it wasn't something that was in my mind."

Despite his initial reservations, Itoje came to see the wisdom in the decision. He stated, "At the end of the season, it is just the done thing to go on tour. But once I had digested it and had thought about it, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was the best thing for me. I'm not annoyed by it at all. It was a wise and prudent decision, it has given me the best opportunity to perform well over the next period of time."

Having made his England debut in 2016, Itoje has accumulated 102 caps and toured three times with the British and Irish Lions. He played more than 30 matches in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, exceeding the recommended limit of 2,400 match minutes in the former and narrowly avoiding doing so in the latter. Emphasizing the importance of mental recovery, Itoje remarked, "I would argue that the mental recovery was far more significant than physically. I feel like I'm in a good physical condition, but mentally it was a heavy, busy year, both personally and professionally."

Itoje coincidentally encountered the England squad at Heathrow Airport as both parties were returning from their respective trips. Despite sending occasional good luck messages, Itoje chose to keep his distance from the England set-up over the summer, opting not to watch their games live to maintain his break's purpose.

The rest period comes before another demanding phase in Itoje's professional life. The Saracens' Premiership season begins with a match against Leicester, and England is set to face Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in the Nations Championship. Additionally, the Rugby World Cup in Australia is a little over a year away. On the personal front, Itoje is preparing for the arrival of his first child with his wife, Mimi, expressing excitement about fatherhood and hopes for a large family.