England: Five players handed fresh Elite Player Squad contracts but British and Irish Lion among axed cohort
Alex Coles (right) is one of five players to be handed a new enhanced EPS contract, while Elliot Daly's has not been renewed
Five new players have been added to the list of England players on enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts for the 2026/27 season.
As part of the Professional Men’s Game Partnership between the RFU and PREM Rugby, these hybrid contracts are club deals with a centralised payment from the union that allows head coach Steve Borthwick greater say over players within the Test squad. This includes final say on sports science and medical matters.
In October 2024, 17 players were handed hybrid contracts, which later rose to 25 for the 2025/26 Test season.
Five new players handed enhanced EPS contracts
After becoming England regulars in 2025 and the first-half of 2026, Seb Atkinson, Alex Coles, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper and Jack van Poortvliet have all been added to the 25-player list of players on enhanced contracts, earning their first contracts in the process.
All five players featured in the recent Nations Championship campaign, with Atkinson, Coles and van Poortvliet starting in every Test.
PREM Rugby ins and outs: Every confirmed signing and departure ahead of 2026/27 season
However, their inclusions come at the cost of Tom Roebuck, Elliot Daly, Ollie Lawrence and Ben Curry, whose previous contracts have not been renewed. Back-rower Tom Willis has also had his central contract taken away after making the move to Bordeaux-Begles.
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Elsewhere, 20 of the 25-player list from the 2025/26 season retain their current contracts, including captain Maro Itoje as well as senior leaders Jamie George, Ellis Genge, Ollie Chessum, Henry Slade and Tom Curry.
In a statement, the RFU said: “England Men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has named the 25 players who will receive enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts for the 2026/27 season.
“The contracts form part of the Men’s Professional Game Partnership, supporting the preparation and development of the England Men’s team.
“The 25 contracted players are selected from the wider 50-player EPS squad.”
England’s 25 EPS Contracts 2026/27
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)
