England Men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has today announced the 25 players to have been awarded enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts for the 2025/26 season with five Sharks making the cut.
George Ford and Tom Curry received EPS contracts last season, and they’ve now been joined by club captain Ben Curry, British and Irish Lion Luke Cowan-Dickie and winger Tom Roebuck.
The contracts form part of the Men’s Professional Game Partnership helping to ensure optimal preparation for the England Men’s team.
The 25 contracted players are drawn from the wider 50-player EPS squad.
Borthwick said: “I am pleased to name the players who will receive an enhanced EPS contract this season.
“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.”
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)
You can watch Sharks’ England stars in action when the Gallagher Prem returns on Thursday 25th September. Gloucester Rugby are the visitors to the Salford Stadium in round one and early bird tickets are available until midnight on Monday 18th August.
Click here for tickets.
