England today named the 25 players who will receive an Enhanced Player Squad (EPS) contract, giving the RFU greater control over the players.
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The 25 selected by Steve Borthwick will also likely make up the bulk of the squad heading to Australia for next year’s World Cup, offering a strong indication of the direction England are heading in.
However, there are five players who we believe have been unfairly overlooked for a contract. This does not include the five players who previously held an EPS deal but have now lost it, namely Elliot Daly, Ben Curry, Ollie Lawrence, Tom Willis and Tom Roebuck.
An honourable mention must also go to Noah Caluori, who burst onto the scene with Saracens and England this year and has established himself as one of the game’s most exciting young talents.
His age is the main reason he has not made this list, but he can still consider himself unfortunate to have missed out.
Ben Spencer
Spencer has never quite been able to replicate his excellent club form at international level, but the Bath scrum-half was clearly England’s second-choice option during the most recent Six Nations.
He featured in four matchday squads, starting the final two games of the tournament.
That position has since been taken by Jack van Poortvliet, with the Leicester Tigers scrum-half receiving an EPS contract instead of Spencer. The decision appears to place significant weight on the events of the past few months.
Spencer is now 34 and has repeatedly struggled to establish himself at Test level, meaning his omission will not come as a huge surprise. Nevertheless, given his position within the England squad earlier this year, he could certainly have made a case for inclusion.
Sam Underhill
Arguably the biggest surprise on the list, Underhill has been a player Borthwick has consistently favoured whenever available and featured in all five of England’s Six Nations matches this year.
At 30, the Bath flanker remains in the prime of his career. He was not selected for the Nations Championship, presumably because of an injury, although England never provided an official explanation for his absence.
Known for his relentless tackling and work rate, Underhill still has plenty to offer England’s back row.
Given how heavily Borthwick has relied on him in the past, his continued absence from the EPS list is a significant surprise.
