Maro Itoje does not believe England’s decision to award a limited number of enhanced contracts will cause division within the squad.
Seventeen players, including Itoje, have been given fixed agreements that will earn them £160,000 per year as part of a new arrangement between the Rugby Football Union and Gallagher Premiership clubs.
It allows head coach Steve Borthwick to have the final say on all sports science and medical matters related to those players. Those not on enhanced Elite Player Squad contracts will receive a match fee of £23,000 which hinges on their selection, creating a two-tier system within Borthwick’s squad.
Ben Spencer, Will Stuart and Chandler Cunningham-South are three starters in Saturday’s autumn opener against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium not in possession of a contract, and there are seven players in the same position on the bench.
Itoje, however, insists England’s core group know their agreements will not be renewed if they under-perform, while the availability of up to eight more contracts provides an incentive for others to deliver on the pitch.
“Steve has set the tone. He said whether you have one of these or not, his job is to pick the best 23 or 15 to represent England and to do the job on Saturday,” the Saracens captain said. “The aspiration will be to get a contract, but these things are changing.
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George Ford, Alex Coles and Ted Hill have all been added to England’s 36-player squad as preparations continue for the Autumn International against New Zealand at Twickenham
“Just because you have a set of players for one season doesn’t mean that they are going to be there for the next season and the season beyond. These things are fluid.
“Steve has made everyone aware that if you are an enhanced player and not performing then you won’t play and you won’t have one for very long. All of us have to make sure there is no divide, but I don’t foresee that being a real bone of contention.”
Itoje in 2023-24 exceeded his 2,400-minute limit for game-time in a season, including a spell playing through a shoulder injury, and he is keen to avoid a similar scenario unfolding again.
“I actually feel that I was in a better position physically come the end of the season than I was earlier on,” he said. “That being said, I don’t think it’s necessarily wise to be playing that amount of games every year.
“It is a bit of a difficult one and it does require management. No one wants to miss any England games. You don’t want to miss big games for your club either, so it does require some working through.”
Itoje will on Saturday surpass the total of 84 caps held by World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, who was also a world-class second-row.
“The big thing is not just about racking up caps, racking up appearances for England. What Martin Johnson did was win,” Itoje said.
“He won Six Nations, big games against southern hemisphere teams. While I’ve also done that in my career, there’s more to come. Him and some of the other guys in yesteryear set the standard in terms of winning.
“I don’t want to just get to a high number of caps and for it to look good on my rugby CV. I want to be part of winning England teams.”
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