Henry Pollock to lose nearly half of £150,000 central contract from the RFU

Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at 17:46

byCharlie Elliott

Henry Pollock is set to lose almost half of the £150,000 he will receive from his new RFU central contract.

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Pollock was one of 25 players to have their Enhanced Player Squad (EPS) contracts confirmed today, with the deals expected to provide each player with around £150,000 on top of their club salary.

The contracts are awarded to England’s top 25 players and give the RFU greater control over areas such as injury rehabilitation and player management.

It also provides an indication as to who Steve Borthwick may pick for the World Cup next year, as the 25 players will likely provide the bulk of the squad travelling to Australia.

Under UK tax rules, Pollock’s additional income will be subject to the 45% higher rate of income tax. That means around £67,500 of the £150,000 could go straight to HMRC.

The Telegraph reports that Pollock’s current club contract runs until the end of the 2026/27 season, with the 21-year-old believed to be earning around £150,000 per year.

His existing salary already takes him beyond the personal allowance threshold, meaning the additional RFU income will be taxed at the 45% rate.

However, Pollock could soon be in line for a huge increase in earnings, with his agent Eddie Hearn previously claiming the back rower should be earning around £1 million given his commercial value and rapidly growing profile.

After a remarkable rise on and off the pitch, the England flanker is expected to command a vastly improved contract in the near future.

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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