Twenty-five players are currently tied into England’s Elite Player Squad (EPS), benefiting from extra RFU cash and tighter oversight from the national setup.
The hybrid deals for 2025/26 are worth roughly £160,000 a year and hand Steve Borthwick increased say over fitness, selection and medical calls.
But with contracts reassessed annually — and a flat Six Nations campaign fresh in the memory — a number of big names are now staring at a fight to keep their EPS deals.
1 Tom Willis
The most obvious player set to lose his EPS contract is Tom Willis. After deciding to move abroad and return to Bordeaux, he ruled himself out of England selection under the RFU’s policy on overseas-based players.
Steve Borthwick has made it clear that England will focus on players involved in the 2027 World Cup cycle, confirming Willis is not part of those plans.
Although he is currently on a central contract, he won’t retain it when the next round of renewals arrives.
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