news-engine

England enhanced EPS contracts: Winners and losers as new inclusions a ‘reflection of status’ while axed cohort left ‘licking their wounds’ Seb Atkinson (left) is among the key winners from the new EPS contracts list, while Tom Roebuck (right) misses out on a contract Following confirmation of the 25-player list of enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts, here is our take on the key winners and losers. Winners Fresh faces Seb Atkinson, Alex Coles, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper and Jack van Poortvliet have all been given their first enhanced EPS contracts for the upcoming season, which is a reflection of their status as Test regulars. All five players have become consistent members of the match-day 23 in the past year, in particular during the Nations Championship, and have even leapfrogged players that were previously ahead of them to do so. This would have certainly caught the eye of Steve Borthwick. Crucially, they are all in positions that are starting to feature new combinations, too. Atkinson and van Poortvliet are now part of a new-look playmaking axis alongside fly-half Fin Smith and even the full-back, be it Marcus Smith or George Furbank when fit. Coles and Pepper are becoming mainstays in a back-five unit that is going through some major makeovers in an effort to give it a bit more balance, while Opoku-Fordjour is also entering the mix at prop when the scrum is starting to act as a big weapon for England. Their inclusion in the 25-man group is just reward for their form at Test level, and shows they are a major part of the plan moving forward. Injured props Fin Baxter and Will Stuart have both kept their status on the enhanced EPS list, despite lengthy spells away from the Test picture. Stuart, currently sidelined with an Achilles injury, has not featured for England since their win over Argentina, which was also Baxter’s last outing at this level before a series of foot issues. While they were previously key members of the England match-day 23, be it starting or on the bench, their absence has allowed the likes of Joe Heyes and the aforementioned Opoku-Fordjour to become regulars, while Emmanuel Iyogun and George Kloska both made their Test debuts in July, and Trevor Davison and Bevan Rodd also featured regularly in the Six Nations too. But their continued status on the enhanced EPS list shows just how vital they are to Borthwick’s pack. Before his injury, Stuart had featured in 12 of England’s past 16 Tests, with three of those absences due to him featuring in the British and Irish Lions Test side against the Wallabies. Baxter was also an ever-present, with 16 Test appearances in a row before December. Upon their return to full fitness, they will likely come straight back into the squad and once again become regular features in the match-day group. Borthwick has also previously detailed that there are players he counts as England players, with the prime example being George Martin despite his lengthy absence. It feels these two are very much in the same camp. Even when injured, they remain huge parts of Borthwick’s extended plan. George Furbank He’s had absolutely no luck when it comes to Test rugby in recent years, but in a similar vein to those above, Furbank remains very much a core member of the England squad, even if he’s not been able to get onto the field. His injury issues since his last cap back in November 2024 could have given Borthwick a fair reason to give someone else his enhanced contract, with Freddie Steward again missing out on a deal, but Furbank’s inclusion in this latest enhanced EPS shows how highly he is thought of within Borthwick’s squad and by the head coach himself. Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. The Harlequins-bound man is probably England’s number one full-back when fit; after all, he was picked to start in the Nations Championship opener prior to his appendicitis. Marcus Smith’s shift back here as cover, ahead of Steward no less, was almost proof of that too. It was very much an indication that England want to play with a playmaking full-back, which is exactly what Furbank brings to the table. This feels a symbolic call. It feels like a call that proves where the rest of the full-backs stand. It feels like a call that proves Furbank is Borthwick’s number one. Losers Ollie Lawrence This has not been the season Ollie Lawrence would have wanted, but it does come off the back of a horrific Achilles injury. The Bath centre was looking a nailed-on inclusion for the British and Irish Lions tour prior to picking up the injury in the 2025 Six Nations, potentially even the front-runner for the 13 shirt, and returned well in the Autumn Nations Series in November. But, fast-forward to now, and he is very much out in the Test wilderness. The eligibility of Benhard Janse van Rensburg, coupled with the form of Henry Slade, Max Ojomoh and the aforementioned Atkinson, saw him miss out on every England camp in the run-up to the Nations Championship and subsequent touring squad too. Now, he’s also seen his EPS contract taken away. Getting a full pre-season under his belt at club level will certainly give him a major boost moving into the new season, but it seems he has some work to do to get back into Borthwick’s extended squad. Tom Roebuck Even as recently as the Six Nations, it seemed Tom Roebuck was England’s go-to man on the wing. Tommy Freeman’s shift to the centres did create that opportunity, mind, but Roebuck grabbed it with both hands and looked to have taken to Test rugby like a duck to water. However, he is seemingly a long way down the pecking order. The Sale winger was initially omitted from the extended 36-man squad for the Nations Championship, overtaken by Noah Caluori, before an injury to Cadan Murley saw him recalled. But despite being drafted in, he didn’t feature in any of the three Tests. PREM Rugby ins and outs: Every confirmed signing and departure ahead of 2026/27 season That has also seen him lose his status as an enhanced EPS player, too, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman the chosen wingers. He will be left pondering this pre-season after a tough time at Test level, but if he can hit the ground running with Sale, he could force his way back into the mix. Ben Curry The back-row is an incredibly competitive position right now for England, be it for the extended squad or within the enhanced EPS list, and unfortunately it seems Ben Curry has fallen victim to the depth chart here. The Sale man was looking like becoming a Test regular this time last year, coming in off the back of playing in every round of the 2025 Six Nations and the three Tests on the summer tour of the Americas, but his injury issues have seen him fall behind the likes of Pepper and Henry Pollock in the depth chart. You feel he’ll get another chance to nail down his Test spot sooner rather than later, but with him being cut from the enhanced EPS list, he might have to be patient. Elliot Daly Injuries have not helped his case, but Elliot Daly joins the rest of this axed cohort in licking his wounds after missing out on an enhanced deal. Daly had made a return to the match-day squad in the Six Nations, slotting in at full-back for the final two Tests, but his injury later in the PREM season saw him miss out on the summer tour. In the process, you feel he was again overtaken by the likes of Furbank and M. Smith at full-back and Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Caluori and Cadan Murley on the wings. It’s probably just another sign of the depth chart around him.