England head coach Steve Borthwick has revealed the core of his squad by issuing enhanced contracts to 25 players for the 2026/27 season. This includes five new faces, with the agreements reportedly granting Borthwick greater control over the players.
New recipients of these deals, believed to be worth in excess of £150,000 annually, include Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Northampton lock Alex Coles, Bath flanker Guy Pepper, Leicester scrum half Jack van Poortvliet, and Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson.
Conversely, Tom Willis has dropped off the list due to his move to Bordeaux Begles, which makes him ineligible for international selection. Sale's Ben Curry and Tom Roebuck, Saracens back Elliot Daly, and Bath centre Ollie Lawrence have also lost their contracts.
George Furbank, who transferred from Northampton to Harlequins, retains his contract despite not having played for England since November 2024. England is scheduled to return to action in November with Nations Championship games against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.