England captain Maro Itoje has been omitted from Steve Borthwick's training squad for July's Nations Championship. The decision comes amid ongoing conversations about the lock's involvement in the summer tournament, following what Borthwick described as a "challenging year" that included a Lions tour, Six Nations campaign, and his mother's death.

New inclusions feature several uncapped players like Saracens lock Hugh Tizard, Harlequins prop Will Hobson, Sale hooker Nathan Jibulu and Bristol tighthead George Kloska. Borthwick's selections are restricted by the Gallagher Prem semi-finals, which prevented players involved in this weekend's action from being included while creating opportunities for fresh faces.

The squad includes players returning from injury like Luke Cowan-Dickie, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ellis Genge. England begins their summer tour in Johannesburg against world champions South Africa before facing Fiji and Argentina in Liverpool and Santiago del Estero respectively as they prepare for the upcoming Nations Championship.