Saints' Pollock & Saracens' Willis Get First Elite England Deals

Back rows Henry Pollock and Tom Willis are among nan players handed an enhanced England statement for nan first clip successful a group of 25 deals for nan 2025-26 season.

Pollock has made conscionable 1 quality disconnected nan chair for England, erstwhile he scored 2 tries successful a 32-minute cameo during nan 68-14 triumph complete Wales successful March.

However nan 20-year-old's fantabulous late-season shape for Northampton earned him action for nan British and Irish Lions' circuit of Australia this summer.

Number 8 Willis, 26, was portion of England's awesome bid triumph complete Argentina, having returned to nan Test segment during this year's Six Nations pursuing a twelvemonth and a half retired of favour.

There is nary woody for Owen Farrell, who will make his return to Saracens this season, having been ineligible for England action while playing for French broadside Racing 92 past year.

Specialist fly-halves Fin Smith, George Ford and Marcus Smith are each included, while caput coach Steve Borthwick shows religion successful Bath centre Ollie Lawrence, who will miss nan commencement of nan caller play astatine slightest arsenic he recovers from an Achilles tendon injury.

Henry Slade is nan 2nd centre included, pinch nary abstraction for Seb Atkinson aliases Fraser Dingwall.

Fin Baxter, besides portion of nan 2 wins complete nan Pumas, is among nan loose-head prop options alongside Test Lion Ellis Genge, while Ben Curry joins relative and chap backmost statement Tom connected nan list.

Saracens hooker Theo Dan loses his cardinal statement however, arsenic Luke Cowan-Dickie, who missed retired past time, is preferred alongside Jamie George.

After nary tight-head props were named successful nan 2024-25 group, Will Stuart and Joe Heyes are some included, while versatile backmost Elliot Daly and helping Tom Roebuck's shape is besides rewarded.

Northampton's Alex Mitchell remains nan only scrum-half successful nan group, pinch Ben Spencer and Harry Randall near out.

Henry Arundell, who has signed for Bath from Racing, is besides overlooked, arsenic are Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Freddie Steward and Asher Opoku-Fordjour.

The contracts, introduced past year, springiness England last opportunity complete nan players' aesculapian attraction and conditioning, and switch lucifer fees pinch a fixed yearly salary, which was astir £160,000 past season.

England men's enhanced Elite Player Squad contracts:

Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Ben Curry (Sale), Tom Curry (Sale), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), George Furbank (Northampton), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), George Martin (Leicester), Alex Mitchell (Northampton), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Tom Roebuck (Sale), Henry Slade (Exeter), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Will Stuart (Bath), Tom Willis (Saracens).