u/Mulboyne

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>Steve Borthwick is considering resting Maro Itoje, the England captain, for the Nations Championship this summer.

>In the previous two seasons, Itoje has exceeded the Rugby Football Union’s own player welfare guidelines by playing in more than 30 matches each campaign. On Monday, Borthwick will announce an extended training squad for the summer matches away to South Africa, home to Fiji and away to Argentina. The three games involve 25,000 miles of travel across three continents.

>Borthwick is expected to rest a handful of players for one if not all of those fixtures and Telegraph Sport understands Itoje is one of them, even if he is included in the squad for the mini-camp which assembles on Monday.

>So far this season, the Saracens second row has played 20 games for club and country. He began the season with the lingering effects of a concussion that he suffered in the third Test of the Lions tour while he has also been dealing with a knee injury.

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>Steve Borthwick is considering an immediate England call-up for Benhard Janse Van Rensburg after the RFU confirmed that the Bristol Bears centre will be eligible for Test selection during the Nations Championship.

>Borthwick, the England head coach, will name a training squad on Monday to begin preparations for a challenging run of summer Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. 

>England need an injection of fresh impetus following the worst Six Nations campaign in their history, and Borthwick is under pressure to improve results and change the team’s style of play after four defeats in five games during the championship... 

>...Initially, Janse Van Rensburg, who plays both centre positions, was not expected to be eligible for England until the autumn. 

>But the RFU has clarified that the former South Africa Under-20 international will complete his residency qualification period on July 8, five years after arriving in England to join London Irish. 

>Janse Van Rensburg’s first England experience could be in a non-cap game against a France XV in Vannes on June 19, providing Bristol Bears are not in the Gallagher Prem final the following day.

>The 29-year-old centre cannot play against the Springboks in Johannesburg on July 4, but he could make his England Test debut against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium the following weekend.

The JRFU has suspended Eddie Jones from coaching duties for six weeks for making inappropriate remarks to officials during an U23 tour of Australia last month. The suspension lasts from the 24th of April until the 6th of June.

Jones will also be unable to take part in four matches, from the two Japan Select XV matches against Hong Kong, a Japan XV match against the Maori All Blacks, up to the Nations Championship match against Italy on the 4th of July.

Following the announcement of disciplinary measures, Jones issued an apology, saying his remarks caused offence, and he would reflect on his behaviour.

[Edited coaching ban date to end on the 6th of June, not 6th of May]