"Feels personal" - Five biggest England stars snubbed by Steve Borthwick

Thursday, 13 August 2026 at 18:23

byCharlie Elliott

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.

Benhard Janse van Rensburg

Perhaps the least surprising omission given how recently Janse van Rensburg became involved with England, but there is still a case to be made that he deserved a contract.

England and Borthwick went to considerable lengths to convince the former South Africa international to switch allegiance. They used a World Rugby eligibility loophole to fast-track him into the squad despite having several homegrown options available.

For that reason, it is slightly surprising that England have not gone one step further by rewarding him with an EPS contract.

Instead, the centre was beaten to a deal by new addition Seb Atkinson, who has likely been selected as much for his long-term potential as his current standing.

Max Ojomoh

A player who has continually and inexplicably been overlooked by England despite impressing whenever he has been given the opportunity, Ojomoh made a huge impact on his first start against Argentina last autumn.

The centre was named man of the match after scoring a try and providing two assists, including a cross-field kick, during England's 27–23 victory.

Since then, however, Ojomoh has been nowhere to be seen in an England shirt, with his only international appearance coming for the A side against France in June.

TV presenter Nick Knowles, who has recently become involved as an owner of Champ side Cornish Pirates, believes the decision to overlook Ojomoh, alongside the decision to release Ollie Lawrence, "feels personal."

Commenting on Instagram, Knowles said, "Lawrence and Ojomoh both have had sterling performances at international level recently - so there has to be a personal issue on Borthwick's side.

"Sadly I don't think there's much confidence in decisions by this England rugby management amongst the fans or it seems in the changing room."

Freddie Steward

Steward has always divided opinion and has often found himself unfairly used as a scapegoat when things have not gone England's way.

His Test form has certainly had its highs and lows, but he remains a reliable option at fullback and one of England's strongest players under the high ball.

George Furbank is the only specialist fullback to receive an EPS contract, while Marcus Smith has also been included.

Given the lack of another established out-and-out No.15 in the group, there was certainly a case for Steward to be included among the 25.

England Men’s enhanced EPS contracts:

Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
George Furbank (Harlequins)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
George Martin (Saracens)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

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England's route to the 2027 Rugby World Cup final: Borthwick handed dream draw

With the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw now confirmed, England’s potential path through the knockout stages is beginning to take shape.

Steve Borthwick’s side appear to have landed on the more favourable half of the draw, raising hopes of another deep run on the sport’s biggest stage.

From the pool phase to a possible final in Australia, here is England’s projected route through the tournament — and the major rivals who could stand in their way.

Pool Stage

England have been drawn with Wales, Tonga and Zimbabwe in Pool F at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Although Wales are likely to strengthen by then, Steve Borthwick’s team will still be firm favourites to top the pool and advance to the round of 16 without major difficulty.

Round of 16

If England top their group, they will meet the Pool B runners-up in the round of 16. Pool B features South Africa, Italy, Georgia and Romania. The Springboks are expected to win the pool, meaning England would avoid the reigning back-to-back world champions, and the remaining teams are unlikely to pose a major threat.

Italy are the most probable candidates for second place. Although they are an improving side and far from a guaranteed victory, England should still be confident of beating them.

Quarter-finals

Italy’s defeat would set up a quarter-final against a runner-up from either Pool A or Pool E. Pool A includes the All Blacks and hosts Australia, raising the possibility of a rematch of the 2003 final between England and the Wallabies — a tricky prospect given Australia’s home advantage.

The Pool E runner-up is most likely to be Japan, though the USA or Samoa could also feature. Regardless, Australia are expected to progress, potentially paving the way for a thrilling showdown with a traditional rivals

Semi-finals

If England can navigate the Wallabies without major setbacks, they should reach the semi-finals — at which point the outcome becomes far harder to predict. Their side of the draw will feature two third-placed teams and two pool winners, and it’s likely that one of those pool winners will progress to the semis.

That would mean facing the winner of either Pool C or Pool D. Argentina are favourites in Pool C, while Pool D could be topped by either Ireland or Scotland. Any of these sides would pose a significant test, but England would still back themselves to compete strongly against each of them.

Final

And if they overcome their semi-final opponents, the most probable finalists waiting on the other side of the draw would be New Zealand or South Africa. Both are powerhouse rugby nations with exceptional squads, though South Africa have had the upper hand in recent years as back-to-back World Cup champions and current Rugby Championship holders.

That sets up the real possibility of a repeat of the 2019 final in Japan, where the Springboks claimed a 32–12 victory.

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