England Rugby head coach Steve Borthwick has revealed a significant reshuffle of the centrally contracted squad, just over a year ahead of the 2026 Rugby World Cup. The England camp has seen some fresh talent rewarded with elite deals, while a few notable players have been left off the latest contract list.
Borthwick announced the 25 players who will receive enhanced player contracts for the 2026-27 season, each valued at approximately £150,000. This group includes new additions to the elite cadre such as prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, lock Alex Coles, scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, flanker Guy Pepper from Bath, and Gloucester’s centre Seb Atkinson.
Conversely, several established names are absent from this list. Flanker Ben Curry and utility back Elliot Daly have missed out, as has wing Tom Roebuck. Additionally, number eight Tom Willis, now committed to France, is no longer eligible for England selection. Bath centre Ollie Lawrence, who had been considered a regular presence, is also excluded from the centrally contracted squad.
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Maintaining their places on the list are several key players including Exeter Chiefs back Henry Slade and young winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Bristol Bears hooker Ellis Genge and Bath prop Will Stuart also continue to hold enhanced contracts.
The enhanced contracts, introduced in 2024 through the Professional Game Partnership between the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership clubs, are designed to provide players with stability and certainty over their terms. Under the programme, Borthwick has primary authority over player medical and conditioning, while contracted players receive a fixed annual sum rather than match-by-match payments.
It is understood that non-centrally contracted players receive a match fee of around £21,000 per game, whereas those in the enhanced contract pool receive this fixed amount plus an additional £7,000 per game for image rights.
England’s recent campaign has seen mixed results. After an extended winning streak in 2025, the team encountered challenges in the Six Nations earlier this year, managing just a single victory. They, however, rebounded by winning two of their three fixtures in the Nations Championship during July.
Looking ahead, Borthwick’s squad is preparing to host Australia, Japan, and New Zealand this November as part of the northern hemisphere leg of the inaugural tournament.
The full list of players receiving enhanced contracts includes:
- Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
- Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
- Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
- Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
- Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
- Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
- Ben Earl (Saracens)
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
- George Ford (Sale Sharks)
- Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
- George Furbank (Harlequins)
- Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
- Jamie George (Saracens)
- Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
- Maro Itoje (Saracens)
- George Martin (Saracens)
- Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
- Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
- Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby)
- Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
- Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
- Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
- Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
- Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
- Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)