Maro Itoje made ultimate England Six Nations sacrifice as lucrative transfer emerged

Maro Itoje revealed he rejected a move to France because he had unfinished business with England.

Itoje was targeted in 2020 by Parisian giants Racing 92, where Owen Farrell is exiled, but knocked them back to keep playing international rugby.

Players have to be with Premiership clubs to represent England currently ruling out the likes of Farrell, Joe Marchant who is at Stade Francais, and Toulouse’s Jack Willis.

Farrell is believed to be on around £1million a year and Itoje’s wages across the Channel would be in a similar bracket but the England skipper did not want to give up Test rugby.

The 30-year-old said: “The reason I didn’t pursue that is because I wanted to play for England. I felt like my time in an England shirt was not quite done yet.

“In my heart of hearts I would have been looking at England playing from across the Channel and I wouldn’t have been at peace with the decision.

“There are a whole load of different factors one can use to determine whether you stay here or go there but, for me, I felt if I went it would have been a bit premature if I went at that time.”

The player drain to the Top 14 has robbed England coach Steve Borthwick of 10 of his World Cup squad from 2023 including Courtney Lawes, Manu Tuilagi, Lewis Ludlam and Kyle Sinckler.

But wing Henry Arundell, who is at Racing 92, has bucked the trend by signing for Bath next season and making himself eligible for England again.

And Itoje wants more players to do the same to give Borthwick a bigger pool of players to pick from.

He added: “We want all the best players to be available for selection for England. We want all the guys who are playing well playing for England or at least being available for selection.

“But everyone has their own individual careers and you have to make decisions which benefit you. I have a lot of respect for all the guys out there.”