LAWRENCE AND DALY LOSE ENGLAND CONTRACTS IN BORTHWICK SQUAD RESHUFFLE

Steve Borthwick has removed Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly from England's central contracts as the head coach reshapes his 25-man squad a year before the Rugby World Cup. Lawrence, a Bath centre, and Daly, a Saracens back, were both prominent in England's Six Nations campaign but featured in neither the summer Nations Championship matches. Borthwick made five changes to the group of contracted players, who receive around £150,000 per season and over whom the head coach exercises greater control.

Five new players have received central contracts under Borthwick's reshuffle. The Northampton lock Alex Coles, Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour (who can play both sides of the scrum), Bath flanker Guy Pepper, Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson all join the contracted squad. Ben Curry and Tom Roebuck, both of Sale, have also lost their contracts, as has Tom Willis following his move to Bordeaux, which renders him ineligible for international selection. George Furbank, the Harlequins back who has not featured for England since November 2024, retains his deal despite an injury run that forced him to miss the South Africa match in July owing to appendicitis.

The omission of Lawrence represents a shift in Borthwick's selection thinking, as the centre impressed in England's autumn victory over the All Blacks last year. Daly, aged 33, had been tipped by Borthwick in November to play a significant role at the World Cup, making his exclusion unexpected. England resumes international action in November with Nations Championship fixtures against Australia, Japan and New Zealand.