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England Rugby confirm 25-man enhanced elite player contract group for 2025/26
By Jon Newcombe
Prodigious talent Henry Pollock has been named as one of the 25 players to benefit from an Enhanced Elite Player Squad contract for the 2025/26 season.
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The Lions tourist, who was first capped by England earlier this year, has enjoyed a meteoric rise and has been rewarded with one of the special deals, which provide a guaranteed annual salary in place of match fees.
Fellow flanker Ben Curry is another of the new additions to the elite group, joining his brother Tom, while Tom Willis has been included for the first time.
Others to get a central contract, who missed out when the first batch were handed out last October, include Fin Baxter, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Elliot Daly, Joe Heyes, Tom Roebuck and Will Stuart.
Saracens hooker Theo Dan is the only player out of the original 17 to be overlooked. However, Bath centre Ollie Lawrence retains his ‘enhanced’ status despite still rehabbing a serious Achilles injury.
Sale, Saracens and Northampton have the largest cohort with five players apiece.
“I am pleased to name the players who will receive an enhanced EPS contract this season,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.
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“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 contracts form part of the Men’s Professional Game Partnership, which is designed to ensure optimal preparation for the England team.
The 25 contracted players are drawn from the wider 50-player EPS squad.
England Men’s enhanced EPS contracts:
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Elliot Daly (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)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Tom Willis (Saracens)
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