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Maro Itoje’s Fitness Concerns Ahead of Saracens’ Crucial Premiership Clash
In the latest BBC rugby union news, Saracens’ star player Maro Itoje is nursing a minor knee injury sustained during the recent Six Nations campaign, casting doubt over his availability for Friday’s pivotal Premiership showdown against Northampton.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has, however, allayed concerns over the England second row’s welfare, stating that the issue is “nothing too serious” and that Itoje’s game time will be carefully managed through the remainder of the season.
The 29-year-old Itoje has already logged an impressive 1,881 minutes of rugby union gameplay this season, equivalent to 23.5 full matches. This puts him perilously close to the 2,400-minute (or 30-match) limit set by an agreement between the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby, and the Rugby Players’ Association to protect the welfare of elite English players.
“With Itoje potentially set to feature for England in their three summer Test matches against Japan and New Zealand, Saracens boss McCall acknowledged the need to carefully rotate his key internationals, including club captain Jamie George, Ben Earl, and Elliot Daly, to ensure they are fresh and available for the business end of the Premiership and European campaigns.”
This weekend, Saracens travel to Northampton without Itoje, who also missed their previous 52-7 thrashing of Harlequins. The rugby union news will be of keen interest to fans as Saracens, currently third in the table, look to close the gap on league leaders Northampton in this crucial Premiership clash.
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