FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Summer Series - England Training - Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Britain - June 4, 2024 England's Ollie Chessum during training Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - The Rugby Football Union has finally announced the 17 players who have been awarded enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts, which will provide a guaranteed annual payment in place of game-by-game match fees.
The introduction of the contracts, discussed for almost a year and which form part of the newly created Men’s Professional Game Partnership (MPGP) announced in September, allows coach Steve Borthwick to have the final say on all sports science and medical matters relating to the players. The coach is able to contract 25 players, but said last month he did not expect to use up his full allocation initially.
