Maro Itoje Returns as Borthwick Names 36-Player England Squad for Nations Championship Camp
Maro Itoje is back in the England fold. Head coach Steve Borthwick has named the Saracens lock in a 36-man training squad preparing for the autumn Nations Championship matches, with the group convening for a three-day camp at Pennyhill Park, England's Performance Centre in Surrey.
The squad splits into 19 forwards and 17 backs, and Itoje's inclusion is the headline name. He is joined in the pack by fellow Saracens George Martin, Ben Earl and Theo Dan, while Sale's Tom Curry and Sam Underhill of Bath offer Borthwick his familiar flanker options. The forward group also features promising young front-rowers — Fin Baxter of Harlequins, Northampton's Emmanuel Iyogun and Bristol's George Kloska all get the call.
Behind the scrum, the playmaking picture is as crowded as ever. George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are all included, giving Borthwick three genuine options at fly-half (the position that directs attacking play). Exeter's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Harlequins' Cadan Murley provide pace out wide, while Leicester pair Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet offer the back-field security Borthwick has often leaned on.
Jamie George and Ellis Genge have been named vice-captains, according to TNT Sports Rugby. George, the Saracens hooker who has captained England before, and Genge, the Bristol prop, bring 130-odd caps of Test experience between them.
The Nations Championship is the revised autumn international format that replaced the traditional one-off November friendlies with a structured competition across the top-tier rugby nations. England are set to welcome Australia among their opponents, rekindling one of the sport's older rivalries.
For fans, the squad offers a blend of established Test performers and emerging talent. Henry Pollock of Northampton and Bath's Guy Pepper — both back-rowers — are names to watch, having impressed at club level. The inclusion of Bristol centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, a South African-born playmaker who qualified on residency, adds another creative option in the midfield.
Borthwick's autumn programme follows on from the Quilter Nations Series held a year earlier, when England assembled a similarly sized group at Pennyhill Park in October 2025 ahead of matches including a visit from Australia. That camp, too, was built around a three-day window — a formula the coaching team clearly values for installing systems without wearing players down during the club season.
The 36 players named will now compete for matchday spots as the autumn approaches, with selection for the Nations Championship fixtures the next milestone on England's path through the 2026 calendar.
