England captain Maro Itoje has said he was surprised to be rested for his country's summer tour but believes the enforced break has benefited him and could be valuable for other players.
Itoje found it "weird" not being involved in Nations Championship games against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, having been informed of head coach Steve Borthwick's plans following the Guinness Six Nations.
He avoided tuning in to live coverage of the matches to help him switch off before watching full replays while knowing the results.
Asked about his reaction when Borthwick initially raised the prospect of leaving him out, Itoje said: "I was taken aback, mainly because it just never entered my mind.
"We didn't make any decisions there and then and I reflected on it, I thought about it, then the more I thought about it, the more I kind of agreed with it.
"The more time that went by, I was like: 'OK, I do think this is the right thing to do. I think it is the right thing for me, the right thing for the longer-term goals and ambitions.'"
Saracens lock Itoje, who won the first of his 102 England caps in 2016, has completed more Test minutes than any other player over the last decade.
His short sabbatical followed a year in which he led the British and Irish Lions to a series victory against Australia, played in the autumn and Six Nations campaigns, and mourned the death of his mother Florence.
"I feel very good for [the break]," Itoje said. "I don't regret it at all. In some respects, it's a little bit weird, being away from the team. Especially whilst games were going on, it felt very weird.
"But at the same time, I felt like it was the right thing to do, so I praise Steve and Phil [Morrow, England's head of team performance] for coming to that conclusion and I am very much looking forward to what's to come."
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Itoje, who is expecting his first child with wife Mimi, visited Nigeria during his time off.
His contact with his England teammates was limited to a few messages and an unplanned airport meeting with the squad on their return from a 45-21 defeat by the Springboks in Johannesburg.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed a full preseason with Saracens in preparation for the club's Gallagher Prem opener at Leicester on Sept. 27.
He is expected to return to Test duty in November when England host Australia, Japan and New Zealand before the Nations Championship finals at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham at the end of the month.
Asked if there was merit in players taking significant breaks from competition, Itoje said: "I think so. I have been very fortunate to have had what I have had. But the cost of that is that you don't tend to have a break, or the breaks that you do have are very short.
"I do think things like this are helpful."
