England Enhanced Elite Player Squad

Fly-halves George Ford, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith have been given one of the deals but there are no tighthead props in the group.

Bath’s Sam Underhill is a surprise omission having started all of England’s eight Test matches in 2024.

The contracts - the first of their kind - allow Borthwick to have the final say on all sports science and medical matters in relation to the players, handing the England boss unprecedented influence compared to his predecessors.

"I am confident that these contracts, and our strong relationship with the Premiership clubs, will play a significant role in England Rugby’s continued development," he said.

Northampton’s Alex Mitchell is the only scrum-half in the 17, with Ellis Genge the only loosehead prop, while Sale flanker Tom Curry has been handed an Enhanced Contract despite his long injury lay-off.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has capped off a breakthrough year by being included in the group, while Henry Slade has also been given a contract despite not making the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad.

Flanker Chandler Cunningham-South started England’s three Test matches on their summer tour, but has been left out of the 17.

Aside from Genge and Curry, the other forwards to receive a contract are Ollie Chessum, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and George Martin, while Tommy Freeman, George Furbank and Ollie Lawrence are the remaining backs.

"One of the aims of the new Men’s Professional Game Partnership is to create world-leading English teams," added RFU director of performance rugby Conor O’Shea.

"We believe this new collaborative approach between club, country and the players can bring greater stability to English rugby, as well as supporting the growth and performance of the England men’s team."

A new player-led organisation called Team England Rugby negotiated the deal on behalf of the players after a long-running arrangement with the Rugby Players Association ended earlier this year.

The 17 players will now receive a salary from the RFU, of around £160,000 per year, rather than match fees of £23,000 per game.

Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)

Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)

Theo Dan (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)

Maro Itoje (Saracens)

Ollie Lawrence (Bath)

George Martin (Leicester Tigers)

Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)

Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)

Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)

Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

The contracts have finally been announced as part of a new Elite Player Squad agreement brokered by Team England Rugby – an organisation set up by the players to negotiate with the RFU after the decision was made to break away from the Rugby Players’ Association. The EPS is made up of 50 players including the 17 with enhanced deals.

Negotiations with the RFU have been far from plain sailing with player welfare protocols and affordability for the union said to be among the stumbling blocks. A release by TER says its board - (Ellis Genge, George, Maro Itoje, Joe Marler and Anthony Watson) – “expressed extensive concerns about the current rest provisions for England players, as well as highlighting the specific player welfare issues faced by international players”.

A four-year agreement has been reached, however, days before England begin their autumn campaign against New Zealand on Saturday week. A management advisory group for the EPS has been established while an exemption process to manage player workload, where an individual is getting close to the 30-game limit, has been introduced. A research project will also be undertaken and reviewed at the end of the 2024-25 season, which will inform future welfare and rest provisions.

George said: “While we have reservations about some aspects of the current protocols, we’re encouraged by the progress made. Reducing games from 35 to 30 demonstrates a commitment to player welfare that we believe is crucial for the success of English rugby. However, the intensity of international rugby is greater than ever, and we believe that specific international rest protocols need to be explored. We hope that the results of the research project will support this.”

The enhanced contracts are the key part of the new Professional Game Partnership between the RFU and the Premiership clubs unveiled in September. George was one of two players offered a contract last season, along with Itoje, to ward off interest from clubs in France. The list of 17 features three fly-halves – Marcus Smith, George Ford and Fin Smith – but just one prop, Genge, a demonstration of the lack of depth Borthwick has in the front row. Both Dan Cole, 37, and Marler, 34, should play significant roles in the autumn Tests with Borthwick still reliant on their experience.

The PGP is worth £33m a year to the clubs. Borthwick has greater control over the 17 players selected when it comes to strength and conditioning decisions and will have final say on sports science and medical matters. That suggests Borthwick can influence when clubs can – or more pertinently cannot – select those players with some directors of rugby expressing their concerns.

While Genge is the only prop awarded a deal, George and Theo Dan are the two hookers given contracts. Ollie Chessum, George Martin, Itoje, Ben Earl and Curry complete the forwards. In the backs, Alex Mitchell – currently sidelined with a neck injury - is the only scrum-half while Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso join the three fly-halves.

Borthwick is able to award up to 25 contracts but has chosen to hand out fewer. Players selected to represent England who are not among the chosen 17 will continue to receive a match fee. “I am confident that these contracts, and our strong relationship with the Premiership clubs, will play a significant role in England Rugby’s continued development,” Borthwick said.

The EPS deal also enables increased commercial opportunities for England players. Genge said: “As a group, we felt that there was an opportunity with the new agreement to look at the commercialisation of England players, both collectively and individually, and we wanted to be at the forefront of these changes. The RFU also recognised that enhancing players’ commercial potential is an area that has not yet been maximised across rugby union and we hope these new measures bring in new partners and new fans.”