5 days ago
Henry Pollock and Daly rewarded with new England central contracts
Henry Pollock is among the 25 England players to have signed an enhanced elite player squad contract with the RFU for the 2025-26 season.
The first 17 enhanced EPS contracts, which are part of the Men's Professional Game Partnership, were introduced in October of last year to improve the management of international players at their clubs. Borthwick, the England head coach, did not fill the quota of 25 players in the first season, but he has done so for 2025-26.
Pollock, the 20-year-old flanker, has been rewarded for a breakthrough season in which he excelled for Northampton Saints during their run to the Investec Champions Cup final, made his first — and thus far only — England appearance off the bench against Wales in the Six Nations, and went on the British & Irish Lions tour. In Australia, Pollock was unable to make it into any of the Test squads for the Lions, limited to the opening match against Argentina in Dublin and four outings on tour.
The other players added to the group are Fin Baxter, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Curry, Elliot Daly, Joe Heyes, Tom Roebuck, Will Stuart and Tom Willis. Theo Dan has been omitted from last year's cohort while Ollie Sleightholme, Fraser Dingwall and Chandler Cunningham-South, who were all heavily involved in England's resurgent Six Nations, can count themselves unlucky to have been overlooked. The contracts can vary in length from one to three years but the lengths of this season's deals have not been disclosed.
Daly is included after excelling for the Lions in Australia before injury ended his tour. Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade are the centres on the list, but Owen Farrell has not been included after his shock return to Saracens from Racing 92, making himself eligible for international rugby again. Indeed Farrell is the only Englishman who toured with the Lions this summer not to make the EPS list while Alex Mitchell is the only scrum half.
There are 25 other players included in the wider 50-man elite player squad, who will continue to be in England consideration but who are contracted to their clubs.
'I am pleased to name the players who will receive an enhanced EPS contract this season,' Borthwick said. '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.'
The RFU confirmed the new club-country deal, worth £33 million a year to Gallagher Prem clubs, in April of last year but the first batch of players was not confirmed for six months. Insiders described a 'two-year odyssey' of negotiations. During this time, the England players set up a new body called Team England Rugby to negotiate contracts, splitting from the Rugby Players' Association. Instead of match fees, which topped out at about £23,000 per man and make England players the best-paid internationals in rugby union, the enhanced EPS players were to be given a guaranteed sum of about £150,000 per season.
