Entering the 2010–11 season Abendanon continued his good form. Although he lost his place for a month to Jack Cuthbert due to a niggling injury which limited him to impact appearances of the bench, Abendanon was promoted to the England Elite squad as replacement for the banned Delon Armitage. This promotion put him in contention to feature during the 2011 Six Nations which some pundits believed he deserved for his improvement over the previous year.