England hand first central contracts to five players as Steve Borthwick shakes up squad

England rugby head coach Steve Borthwick has announced 25 players who will receive central contracts worth around £150,000 each for the 2026-27 season, with five players — prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper, Jack van Poortvliet, and Seb Atkinson — handed elite deals for the first time. The announcement comes with just over a year remaining until the Rugby World Cup. Opoku-Fordjour, who made his senior England debut in 2024, is among the notable new additions to the centrally contracted squad.