by Maro Itoje does not believe England’s decision to hand out a limited number of extended contracts will cause a split within the squad.
Seventeen players, including Itoje, have been given permanent contracts paying them £160,000 a year under a new agreement between the Rugby Football Union and Gallagher Premiership clubs.
This gives head coach Steve Borthwick the final say on all sports science and medical matters relating to these players. Those who do not have an extended elite player squad contract will receive a match fee of £23,000 depending on their selection, creating a two-tier system within the Borthwick squad.
Ben Spencer, Will Stuart and Chandler Cunningham-South are three non-contract starters in Saturday’s autumn opener against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, with seven players in the same position on the bench.
But Itoje insists England’s core squad know their contracts will not be renewed if they perform poorly, while the availability of up to eight more contracts provides an incentive for others to deliver on the pitch.
“Steve set the tone. He said whether you have something like that or not, your job is to pick the best 23 or 15 to represent England and do that job on Saturday,” the Saracens captain said. “The goal will be to get a contract, but these things change.”
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George Ford, Alex Coles and Ted Hill have all been named to England’s 36-man squad as preparations continue for the Autumn International against New Zealand at Twickenham
“Just because you have a number of players for one season doesn’t mean they will be there for the next season and beyond. These things are fluid.”
“Steve made it clear to everyone that if you’re a good player and don’t perform, you won’t play and you won’t have one for very long. We all need to make sure there is no division, but I don’t.” I expect this to be a real point of contention.
Itoje exceeded his 2,400-minute limit for playing time in a season in the 2023-24 season, including a break due to a shoulder injury, and he is keen to avoid a similar scenario occurring again.
“I actually feel like I was in better shape physically at the end of the season than before,” he said. “Still, I don’t think it necessarily makes sense to play so many games every year.
“It is quite a difficult matter and it requires management. Nobody wants to miss an England game. You also don’t want to miss big games for your club, so it takes some work through.”
On Saturday, Itoje will surpass the 84 caps of World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, who was also world-class in the second row.
“It’s not just about getting caps and appearances for England. Martin Johnson won,” Itoje said.
“He won Six Nations, big games against teams from the southern hemisphere. I’ve achieved that in my career, but there’s more to come. He and some of the other guys from yesterday set the standard when it comes to winning.”
“I don’t just want to get a high number of caps and show it well on my rugby CV. I want to be part of the winning English teams.”
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