Steve Borthwick has made a significant adjustment to England’s centrally contracted squad, removing Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly from the 25‑player group that receives enhanced management and financial support from the Rugby Football Union.
Selection signals for World Cup planning
The decision, announced as part of a set of five changes, comes with the England head coach signalling the direction of his thinking with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia in mind. Neither Lawrence nor Daly featured in England’s recent Nations Championship fixtures – Daly having been restricted by an arm injury – though both were part of the squad earlier in the year during the Six Nations.
Borthwick’s omission of two established internationals is intended to show the greater control and influence the coaching team will exercise over players who hold central deals. Those contracts, awarded to a core group of players, come with closer coordination of training and availability and are reported to be worth about £150,000 a season.
"Those contracts... give the head coach greater control"
Who comes in and who drops out
The newly contracted players include a mix of forwards and backs who had been outside the centrally managed group a year ago. Among the additions are the Northampton forward Alex Coles and Sale prop Asher Opoku‑Fordjour, who is capable of playing on both sides of the scrum. Also awarded contracts were Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper and Jack van Poortvliet.
Players who lost their central deals alongside Lawrence and Daly are the injury‑hit Ben Curry, Sale team‑mate Tom Roebuck and Tom Willis, who has returned to Bordeaux. The changes total five departures and five arrivals compared with last season.
- Added to central contracts: Alex Coles, Asher Opoku‑Fordjour, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper, Jack van Poortvliet.
- Omitted from central contracts: Ollie Lawrence, Elliot Daly, Ben Curry, Tom Roebuck, Tom Willis.
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| Newly contracted | Coles; Opoku‑Fordjour; Atkinson; Pepper; van Poortvliet |
| Omitted | Lawrence; Daly; Ben Curry; Roebuck; Willis |
Implications and context
The move is notable for a number of reasons. Lawrence’s exclusion is particularly striking given his recent prominence for England, including a strong showing against New Zealand last autumn. The inclusion of Seb Atkinson helps explain Lawrence’s omission partly, with competition for midfield places intensifying. Fraser Dingwall, another centre who impressed against the All Blacks, has also slipped down the pecking order since that victory.
Daly’s absence from the centrally managed group is also unexpected. The 33‑year‑old has been valued by Borthwick for his versatility and was previously tipped to play a meaningful role for England at the World Cup. While losing a central contract does not automatically rule a player out of selection for the tournament—Borthwick can still name a larger 33‑player squad next year—it does indicate where those players currently sit in the coach’s plans.
The RFU’s central contract system is designed to align player availability and conditioning with the national team’s programme. By awarding or withdrawing those deals, the head coach can prioritise players he believes best fit his tactical and personnel blueprint in the run‑up to a major tournament.
For the omitted players, the immediate effect is mixed: they remain eligible for England selection but will be outside the closer management and, crucially, the financial terms attached to central deals. For those newly brought in, the contracts represent both a reward for recent form and a clear signal of Borthwick’s short‑term plans.
The reshuffle underlines a selection strategy that favours current form and positional competition as England’s coaching staff finalise their approach ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
