England: Henry Pollock one of nine new players given Elite Player Squad contracts but one of the original 17 loses his deal
Henry Pollock, with Jamie George, on the recent British and Irish Lions tour
Nine new players – including Test bolter Henry Pollock – have been added to the list of England players on enhanced elite squad contracts for the 2025/26 season.
It was last October, following agreement of the new Professional Men’s Game Partnership between the RFU and Premiership Rugby, when head coach Steve Borthwick named 17 players awarded the new hybrid contracts.
These are club deals topped up by a centralised payment that allows Borthwick to have a greater say over the conditioning of the elite England players, such as skipper Maro Itoje and co-captains Ellis Genge, Jamie George and George Ford.
Borthwick had 25 contracts at his disposal, but he left eight in his back pocket at the time of the announcement that took place leading into the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.
Full capacity
10 months later, Borthwick has now confirmed a full capacity list of 25 players, which includes nine new additions – Fin Baxter, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Curry, Elliot Daly, Joe Heyes, the one-cap Pollock, Tom Roebuck, Will Stuart and Tom Willis.
16 of the 17 players awarded an enhanced deal last October have been retained, with Theo Dan the only casualty.
An RFU statement read: “England men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has announced the 25 players to have been awarded enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts for the 2025/26 season.
“The contracts form part of the Men’s Professional Game Partnership helping to ensure optimal preparation for the England men’s team. The 25 contracted players are drawn from the wider 50-player EPS squad.”
Borthwick said: “I am pleased to name the players who will receive an enhanced EPS contract this season. These contracts, together with our strong relationship with the Premiership clubs, will continue to play an important role in the ongoing development of England Rugby.”
England’s 25 Elite Player Squad Contracts 2025/26
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Tom Willis (Saracens)
