England head coach Steve Borthwick has omitted Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly from his 25-man squad and stripped both players of their central contracts. The roster adjustments come exactly one year before England’s World Cup campaign begins in Australia, signalling a shift in squad planning.
Contract Shifts and Notable Exclusions
According to The Guardian, Steve Borthwick has made five changes to the group of players who receive approximately £150,000 annually under agreements that grant the head coach greater control. Among the standout exclusions are Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly. Daly was nursing an arm injury and missed the summer Nations Championship matches, though both players featured during the Six Nations.
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Lawrence’s omission surprises observers given that the Bath centre starred in England’s victory against the All Blacks last autumn. However, according to reporting by The Guardian, both Lawrence and Fraser Dingwall have fallen down the pecking order since then, while Seb Atkinson has emerged as Borthwick’s first-choice inside-centre.
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New Inclusions and Contract Recipients
While established names lost out, five players entered the central contract fold. Northampton forward Alex Coles and Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour joined the contracted group alongside Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper, and Jack van Poortvliet. Coles played in all 12 England Tests over the past year and started the summer matches against South Africa, Fiji, and Argentina while captain Maro Itoje was rested. Opoku-Fordjour, who can play both sides of the scrum, brings high versatility despite holding only eight caps to date.
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Overlooked Stars and Overseas Moves
Borthwick opted against awarding a contract to South African-born centre Benhard van Rensburg, who made his debut over the summer after qualifying for England on residency grounds. Courtney Lawes, available again following a move to Sale from France, was also overlooked, as was Joe Marchant, who likewise joined Sale. According to The Guardian, handing Lawes a contract after a two-year sojourn in France might have sent the wrong message to England-based players, though the 37-year-old is expected to get his chance to stake a claim.
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Alongside Lawrence and Daly, Borthwick dropped the injury-plagued Ben Curry, his Sale teammate Tom Roebuck, and Tom Willis, who has rejoined Bordeaux. Willis’s move to France occurred weeks after he received a central contract, an outcome described as embarrassing for the Rugby Football Union, with Guy Pepper ultimately benefiting as a result. Despite these cuts, Borthwick did not select a like-for-like replacement for either Roebuck or Daly, illustrating the fluid nature of his back-three options.
