Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly are the headline casualties as Steve Borthwick has named the 25 players who will receive enhanced Elite Player Squad contracts for the 2026/27 season, with the England head coach making five changes to his centrally contracted group a year out from the Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Key changes:

• Ollie Lawrence, Elliot Daly, Ben Curry, Tom Roebuck and Tom Willis all lose their contracts
• Seb Atkinson, Alex Coles, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper and Jack van Poortvliet are the five new additions
• South African-born centre Benhard van Rensburg, who made his debut over the summer, misses out
• Courtney Lawes overlooked despite returning to English rugby with Sale Sharks
• George Furbank retains his deal despite not featuring for England since November 2024

The enhanced contracts, introduced in 2024 as part of the Professional Game Partnership between the Rugby Football Union and the Premiership clubs, are worth around £150,000 per season and grant Borthwick greater control over players’ medical and conditioning programmes. Non-contracted players receive a match fee of around £21,000 per game, while the contracted 25 also earn an additional £7,000 per game for image rights on top of their fixed annual amount.

Steve Borthwick has named the 25 players who will receive enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts for the 2026/27 season.

Click below to read more 👇

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 12, 2026

Lawrence’s omission is arguably the most surprising. The Bath centre was a standout performer in England’s victory over New Zealand last autumn and started the 2025 Six Nations as a key figure in Borthwick’s midfield. However, his tournament was cruelly curtailed in the round four win over Italy when he collapsed untouched with a serious Achilles injury after just eight minutes.

Lawrence returned to action but fell out of favour during the 2026 Six Nations and did not feature in any of the three Nations Championship matches over the summer. Gloucester’s Seb Atkinson, who has established himself as Borthwick’s first-choice inside centre with seven caps, appears to be the direct beneficiary, going some way to explaining Lawrence’s demotion. Fraser Dingwall, who also impressed against the All Blacks, has similarly slipped down the pecking order.

Daly’s exclusion is perhaps even more unexpected. The versatile Saracens back, who will turn 34 in October, was tipped by Borthwick as recently as last November to play an important role at the World Cup. His capacity to cover fly-half, centre, wing and full-back has long been valued by the coaching staff, and he scored the dramatic last-gasp try that sealed England’s famous 26-25 victory over France at Twickenham in the 2025 Six Nations. However, an arm injury curtailed his involvement during the summer and his absence from the contracted squad signals a clear shift in Borthwick’s thinking, even if it does not rule him out of contention for the World Cup entirely, for which a larger 33-man squad will be selected.

Ben Curry’s omission is less surprising given that recurring hamstring problems prevented him from playing a single game for England last season. The Sale flanker was part of a formidable twin back-row combination with brother Tom during the 2025 Six Nations, memorably producing a standout performance in the demolition of Wales in Cardiff where he was named man of the match. His absence from the contracted group does not preclude a return to the squad if fitness allows, but Bath’s Guy Pepper has emerged as a more reliable option and takes his place.

Tom Willis’s departure from the list was inevitable after the former Saracens number eight agreed a move to Bordeaux-Bègles, rendering him ineligible for England selection under the RFU’s policy on overseas-based players. Willis had been handed an enhanced contract just last year after cementing his place in the side during the 2025 Six Nations, making the timing of his departure to France particularly awkward for the governing body. Tom Roebuck also loses his deal after falling out of favour, having failed to make England’s initial squad for the Nations Championship in July.

Among the new additions, the inclusion of Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour is a notable statement of intent. The 22-year-old has only eight caps to his name but his ability to scrummage on both sides of the front row marks him out as an invaluable squad option for a World Cup campaign. Alex Coles’s promotion to the contracted group is no surprise given the Northampton lock played in all 12 of England’s Tests over the past year and was a key figure in Saints’ Premiership title triumph, starting all three summer internationals against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina while captain Maro Itoje was rested.

Jack van Poortvliet completes the quintet of new faces after the Leicester scrum-half started all three summer Tests in the absence of the injured Alex Mitchell. The 25-year-old’s inclusion provides Borthwick with two contracted options at nine alongside Mitchell.

Several notable names sit outside the 25 but remain in contention for selection. Courtney Lawes, who has returned to English rugby with Sale after two seasons at La Rochelle and has made clear his desire to feature at next year’s World Cup, has been overlooked. Handing the 37-year-old a central contract after his time in France could have sent the wrong message to domestically based players, though he will surely get opportunities to press his case during the autumn.

Benhard van Rensburg, whom Borthwick selected at the first possible opportunity after the centre qualified on residency grounds over the summer, has also been omitted despite making his debut. George Furbank’s retention is perhaps the most curious decision given the Harlequins full-back has not played for England since November 2024 due to a succession of injuries, including appendicitis that ruled him out of a planned start against South Africa in July.

With only four contracted back-three players — Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Furbank and Marcus Smith — Borthwick has kept his options deliberately fluid in that area. The likes of Cadan Murley, Noah Caluori, Freddie Steward and indeed Roebuck and Daly could all feature over the coming season without the security of a central deal.

England return to action in November with Nations Championship matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand at Twickenham, the northern hemisphere leg of the inaugural tournament. After a disappointing 2026 Six Nations that yielded just one victory, Borthwick’s side recovered to win two of their three summer fixtures, and the composition of this contracted squad points clearly towards his thinking for a World Cup campaign that begins in September 2027.

England enhanced EPS contracts 2026/27:

Props: Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 18 caps), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 83 caps), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 25 caps), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, 8 caps), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 53 caps)

Hookers: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 61 caps), Jamie George (Saracens, 113 caps)

Locks: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 38 caps), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 22 caps), Maro Itoje (Saracens, 102 caps), George Martin (Saracens, 24 caps)

Back rowers: Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 71 caps), Ben Earl (Saracens, 54 caps), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 15 caps), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 13 caps)

Scrum-halves: Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 32 caps), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 27 caps)

Fly-halves: George Ford (Sale Sharks, 108 caps), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 19 caps), Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 53 caps)

Centres: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 7 caps), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 77 caps)

Back three: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 16 caps), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 30 caps), George Furbank (Harlequins, 14 caps)

Steve Borthwick has expanded his England squad to 33 players ahead of Friday’s uncapped fixture against a France XV in Vannes, recalling Bath centre Max Ojomoh while continuing to overlook his club colleague Ollie Lawrence. Maro Itoje remains absent as the England captain edges closer to being rested for the entire Nations Championship summer tour.

• Key team news:
• Max Ojomoh recalled to England squad after surprise omission from initial training camp
• Ollie Lawrence overlooked again despite holding centrally contracted status
• Maro Itoje remains absent with summer rest still expected
• Uncapped Leicester loosehead Archie van der Flier earns first senior call-up
• Tobias Elliott, Afolabi Fasogbon, Will Hobson, Nathan Jibulu and Ben Redshaw all drop out
• Squad expanded from 26 to 33 with addition of Leicester and Bath players from Premiership semi-finals

Ojomoh’s return is the most eye-catching selection decision after the two-cap midfielder was a surprise omission from the 26-man group that trained at Pennyhill Park last week. The Bath centre was named player of the match on his second cap against Argentina in November but has not featured for England since. He will compete for midfield places with Seb Atkinson and the uncapped Benhard Janse van Rensburg of Bristol Bears, with both Cadan Murley and Tom Roebuck having shifted to outside centre in recent weeks for their clubs.

Getting to work in Vannes 💪

Steve Borthwick has named his training squad ahead of England XV's clash against France XV this Friday.@O2 | #WearTheRose

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) June 15, 2026

Lawrence’s continued absence is harder to explain. The 26-year-old is one of England’s 25 centrally contracted players and started the autumn victory over New Zealand. However, he has struggled to recapture his best form since making a rapid six-month recovery from a torn Achilles tendon at the start of this season. His only appearance in England’s Six Nations campaign was in the 42-21 defeat by Ireland, and he has now been passed over for consecutive squad announcements. Henry Arundell, Alfie Barbeary, Ben Spencer, Sam Underhill and Kepu Tuipulotu are other notable Bath absentees. Underhill is understood to be heading for surgery, while Spencer attended last month’s mini-camp for only one day, with Borthwick seemingly intent on exploring younger options in the scrum-half pecking order.

The squad has been bolstered by 13 players from Leicester Tigers and Bath, the two sides beaten in last weekend’s Premiership semi-finals. Leicester contribute the largest contingent with eight players, headlined by the second-row partnership of Ollie Chessum and George Martin. With Alex Coles set to feature in the Premiership final for Northampton and Itoje expected to sit out the summer, a strong performance from the Leicester pair in Vannes could convince Borthwick to leave his captain behind entirely. Chessum and Martin would represent a formidable combination at Test level and their familiarity from club rugby is an obvious advantage.

Among the Leicester contingent, the most intriguing call-up belongs to Archie van der Flier, the uncapped loosehead prop who earns his first involvement in the senior set-up. The 24-year-old, a cousin of Ireland and British and Irish Lions flanker Josh van der Flier, has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season after being picked up by the Tigers from Championship club Nottingham while studying for a geography and business degree at the University of Nottingham. He came off the bench for England A in their 52-14 victory over Ireland at Thomond Park in February and impressed Tigers head coach Geoff Parling enough to establish himself as Nicky Smith’s understudy. A surging try against Sale last month demonstrated his ability in the loose, while he has developed into an improving scrummager.

Van der Flier’s inclusion speaks directly to Borthwick’s most pressing concern heading into the Nations Championship — loosehead prop depth. The front-row situation ahead of the opening Test against world champions South Africa at Ellis Park on 4 July remains precarious. Will Stuart has been sidelined since December with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Fin Baxter requires another operation on his foot, Trevor Davison’s season was ended by a serious knee injury, and Bevan Rodd has not played since early April. Ellis Genge, who started all five Six Nations matches and nine Tests during the 2024-25 season before adding three Lions appearances in Australia, is in the rehabilitation group with a calf complaint picked up during Bristol’s penultimate Premiership fixture. The plan is to get Genge fit for Ellis Park, but Borthwick has limited cover should that timeline slip. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, whom England believe can operate at loosehead as well as his usual tighthead position at Sale, Beno Obano and van der Flier appear to be the three live options for Vannes.

On the tighthead side, Joe Heyes has become one of England’s most valuable forwards, to the extent that fielding him in an uncapped match may represent an unnecessary risk. George Kloska and the uncapped Billy Sela, the Bath tighthead, are the other specialist options alongside Opoku-Fordjour. Scrum coach Tom Harrison will be a pivotal figure over the coming weeks as England prepare for the Springbok pack.

Five players have dropped out from the initial 26-man training group. Tobias Elliott, who earned his call-up on the back of an impressive run of try-scoring form for Saracens, is the most notable casualty, alongside Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon and Ben Redshaw, Harlequins loosehead Will Hobson and Sale hooker Nathan Jibulu. Arthur Clark, who was in the main squad last week, has moved to the rehabilitation group, where he joins Luke Cowan-Dickie, Genge and Bath’s Guy Pepper.

There is positive news regarding Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. The Exeter wing, who underwent surgery to insert a plate in his jaw following a collision against Leicester, attended last week’s England camp and will remain with the Chiefs as they prepare for the Premiership final against Northampton on Saturday. England have been optimistic that he will be available for the summer tour, with the full Nations Championship squad to be confirmed on 22 June.

Jamie Blamire provides additional hooking options alongside Theo Dan and Jamie George, while Ted Hill — who won the most recent of his five caps against the United States in July 2025 — offers Borthwick versatility across the second row and back row. In the backs, the return of Freddie Steward at full-back, Adam Radwan on the wing and Jack van Poortvliet at scrum-half gives Borthwick significantly more depth and experience to choose from for what promises to be a demanding evening in Vannes.

Borthwick will need his side primed. Fabien Galthié’s uncapped France squad is loaded with talent, including the quicksilver scrum-half Nolann le Garrec, wing Théo Attissogbe — who boasts ten tries in 13 Test appearances — and a glittering Bordeaux-Bègles contingent featuring Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortère in midfield. With the Springboks looming three weeks later, England can expect a thorough examination.

Players from Northampton and Exeter involved in the Premiership final will be reintegrated when the full tour squad is announced on 22 June. Henry Slade, Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman are among those who could yet reshape the selection picture before England depart for Johannesburg.

England training squad:

Forwards: Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins), George Kloska (Bristol Bears), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby), Hugh Tizard (Saracens), Archie van der Flier (Leicester Tigers).

Backs: Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester), Noah Caluori (Saracens), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks), Adam Radwan (Leicester Tigers), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers).

Rehabilitation: Arthur Clark (Gloucester), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby).

Match details: England XV v France XV, Stade de la Rabine, Vannes. Friday 19 June, 5.15pm BST.

Nations Championship fixtures: South Africa (a) 4 July, Fiji (a) 11 July, Argentina (a) 18 July.

Steve Borthwick has named a 42-man England training squad for the inaugural Nations Championship, handing a first call-up to South African-born Bristol Bears centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg as preparations begin for a demanding July schedule that opens against the Springboks in Johannesburg on 4 July.

Key squad news:

• Benhard Janse van Rensburg earns first England call-up but will not be eligible to face South Africa, qualifying on residency grounds from 8 July
• Saracens teenage wing Noah Caluori included after leading the Premiership try-scoring charts with 18 this season
• Ollie Lawrence, Max Ojomoh and Henry Arundell all omitted from the Bath contingent
• George Martin returns to the England set-up after more than 14 months out through injury
• Uncapped scrum-halves Archie McParland and Charlie Bracken among five nines selected
• Seven uncapped players in total; squad assembles at Pennyhill Park for three-day camp from Monday

The headline selection is Janse van Rensburg, whose path to an England jersey has been anything but straightforward. The 29-year-old made a single 20-minute appearance for South Africa’s Under-20 side in 2016, which initially tied him to the Springboks at Test level. However, the RFU successfully appealed to World Rugby that the brief emergency injury cover cameo should not prevent him from qualifying for England on residency grounds after five years in the country. Having joined London Irish in 2021 before moving to Bristol, his paperwork makes him eligible from 8 July — ruling him out of the opening Nations Championship fixture against his native South Africa but available for the subsequent matches against Fiji on 11 July and Argentina on 18 July. He may also feature in the uncapped warm-up match against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June.

Let the preparations begin 👊

Head coach Steve Borthwick has named his squad for a three-day alignment camp ahead of the upcoming Nations Championship.@O2 | #WearTheRose

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 18, 2026

Janse van Rensburg’s inclusion comes directly at the expense of Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, the Bath centre pairing who are both omitted. Lawrence has struggled to recapture his best form since the serious Achilles injury sustained during last year’s Six Nations, which also ruled him out of the British & Irish Lions tour. Ojomoh, despite earning man-of-the-match honours against Argentina in November, was swiftly dropped during the Six Nations and has not regained Borthwick’s confidence. Seb Atkinson, Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade are the other specialist midfield options alongside the new recruit, with Tommy Freeman also listed as a centre option.

The omission of Henry Arundell is another talking point. The Bath wing has been in prolific form, scoring nine tries in his last seven club appearances, but endured a difficult Six Nations campaign — a hat-trick on the opening weekend against Wales was followed by a 20-minute red card in the defeat to Scotland and a subsequent dropping after the loss to Ireland. Leicester’s Adam Radwan, whose last England appearance came in November 2021, is preferred alongside the fit-again Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Cadan Murley and the exciting 19-year-old Saracens sensation Noah Caluori, who tops the Premiership try-scoring charts with 18 this season. Caluori has previously trained with England groups but has not yet made a matchday squad.

The scrum-half department has been notably expanded, with five nines included. Alex Mitchell, the established starter, is joined by Ben Spencer, Jack van Poortvliet and two uncapped newcomers: 21-year-old Archie McParland from Northampton, who has been sharing game time with Mitchell in recent weeks, and 22-year-old Charlie Bracken from Saracens, son of former England scrum-half Kyran Bracken, who has established himself as his club’s starting nine.

The front-row picture has been reshaped by injury and opportunity. At hooker, Leicester’s Jamie Blamire earns a promotion alongside Jamie George and Theo Dan, while Bath’s 20-year-old Kepu Tuipulotu is involved with the senior squad officially for the first time. Tuipulotu, whose sister Sisilia plays for Wales and father Sione represented Tonga, has been used sparingly at Bath this season but his combination of speed, agility and power has long marked him out as a future international. Luke Cowan-Dickie will attend camp for rehabilitation as he recovers from a broken arm. On the tighthead side, the absence of the injured Will Stuart and Trevor Davison — the latter out for the season with a knee injury — has opened the door for Bath’s uncapped 21-year-old Vilikesa Sela alongside Joe Heyes and the returning Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who missed the Six Nations with a shoulder problem.

George Martin’s inclusion in the second row represents a significant boost. The Leicester lock, still only 24, is just four matches into his comeback after more than 14 months on the sidelines following knee and shoulder injuries. His physicality notably unsettled the Springboks in England’s 2023 World Cup semi-final and he remains highly valued by Borthwick. He joins Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Nick Isiekwe and Gloucester’s Arthur Clark in a strong lock contingent. In the back row, Harlequins number eight Alex Dombrandt returns to the fold as the only alternative to Ben Earl in that position, following the injury to Exeter’s Greg Fisilau. Henry Pollock, who made a memorable debut in last year’s Six Nations finale against Wales, retains his place alongside Tom Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South and Bath’s Guy Pepper.

This camp is the first of several three-day training gatherings at Pennyhill Park. England will warm up for their Nations Championship fixtures with the uncapped match against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June before Borthwick names his touring squad following the Premiership final on 20 June. A gruelling travel itinerary — Johannesburg, then Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for the Fiji match, then Santiago del Estero for Argentina on successive Saturdays — may see the head coach consider resting senior figures or splitting his squad across the three fixtures.

Northampton lead the club representation with nine players in the squad, followed by Leicester Tigers and Saracens with seven apiece.

Borthwick is due to speak to the media on Tuesday for the first time since being given the backing of the RFU despite overseeing a one-win Six Nations campaign. He has 15 Tests before the 2027 World Cup in Australia to shape his squad, and this summer’s programme offers both a stern examination and a chance to blood the next generation.

England training squad

Forwards (22): Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Jamie George (Saracens), Theo Dan (Saracens), Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers), Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Ben Earl (Saracens), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins).

Backs (20): Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers), Archie McParland (Northampton Saints), Charlie Bracken (Saracens), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Adam Radwan (Leicester Tigers).

Rehabilitation: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks).

Not considered for selection: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints), Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs), Will Muir (Bath Rugby), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby).

Nations Championship fixtures
Saturday 4 July: South Africa v England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (16:40 BST)
Saturday 11 July: Fiji v England, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool (14:10 BST)
Saturday 18 July: Argentina v England, Santiago del Estero (20:10 BST)

All matches live on ITV Sport.