Maro Itoje does not believe England’s decision to sign a limited number of enhanced contracts will lead to division within the squad.
Seventeen players, including Itoje, have been given fixed contracts worth £160,000 a year as part of a new agreement between the Rugby Football Union and the Gallagher Premiership club.
This allows manager Steve Borthwick to have the final say on all sports science and medical matters relating to that player.
Enhanced Elite Player Squad Those not under contract will receive a match fee of £23,000 of their choice, creating a two-tier system within Borthwick’s squad.
Ben Spencer, Will Stewart and Chandler Cunningham-South are the three starters out of contract for Saturday’s autumn opener against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, while there are seven players in the same position on the bench.
current contract
But Itoje insists England’s core group knows their contracts will not be renewed if they underperform, and the availability of up to eight further contracts provides incentive for other teams to perform on the pitch. .
“Steve set the tone. He said whether you have one of these or not, his job is to pick the best 23 or 15 players to represent England and do that on Saturday.” said the Saracens captain.
“The dream is to get a contract, but these things are changing. Just because you have a set of players for one season doesn’t mean those players will be there for the next season and the seasons after that. These are fluid.
“Steve made everyone aware that if you’re a great player and you’re not performing, you’re not going to play and you’re not going to play for very long.
“We all need to make sure there are no divisions, but I don’t think that’s going to be a real bone of contention.”
Minute limit exceeded
In 2023-24, Itoje exceeded the limit of 2,400 minutes played in a season, including a setback due to a shoulder injury, and is hoping to avoid a similar scenario unfolding again.
“I actually think by the end of the season I was in a better place physically than I was before,” he said.
“So I don’t think it’s necessarily wise to play that many games every year. It’s a bit tricky and requires maintenance.
“Nobody wants to miss an England game. “It takes some effort because you don’t want to miss a big game for the club.”
Itoje will on Saturday surpass the record of 84 caps held by World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, who is also a world-class second row player.
“The most important thing is not just getting caps and playing for England. What Martin Johnson did was a victory,” Itoje said.
“He won the Six Nations in big games against southern hemisphere teams. I’ve done that in my career, but there’s more to come. He and the other players from last year set the standard for winning.
“I just don’t want to go for a lot of caps and have it look good on my rugby resume. “I want to be a part of the England team winning.”
Read more: Tommy Freeman can lead England to victory against the All Blacks.
