London: England selection should no longer be restricted to players based at domestic clubs, according to cap centurion Courtney Lawes. The 37-year-old is back in contention to add to his 105 England appearances, having signed a one-year deal with Sale after two seasons at Brive in the French second tier. A clutch of English talent - notably Toulouse star Jack Willis - remain across the Channel and out of reach for England head coach Steve Borthwick.
According to BBC, Lawes expressed understanding of the current policy but argued for flexibility, stating, "I can see why they do it because they don't want all their players playing abroad, but I don't think that's necessarily going to be the case anyway." He emphasized the importance of having the best players available for selection to develop the game and attract more viewers. "I just reckon you make your best players available and by any means necessary. I don't see why you'd limit yourself," he added.
In addition to Willis, who was voted the best player in France in 2024-25 and could well retain the award after a player-of-the-match performance in the Top 14 final in June, several other English players like Willis's brother Tom, Kyle Sinckler, Manu Tuilagi, David Ribbans, Billy Vunipola, Lewis Ludlam, and Junior Kpoku also ply their trade in France. England currently benefits from better access and control over players at Premiership clubs, which in turn receive central payments from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and have a higher chance of retaining their biggest stars.
While countries like New Zealand, France, and Ireland have policies favoring home-based players, some of England's other rivals, such as South Africa, Australia, and Scotland, rely heavily on players based abroad. England head coach Borthwick has opted not to include Lawes or Joe Marchant, his new Sale team-mate who has spent the past three seasons at Stade Francais in Paris, in his first training camp of the season, asking them to prove themselves in the Premiership first.
Lawes, who played 80 minutes in a 50-28 win over Bath in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Sunday, remarked, "It was just what I would expect - he knows I'm coming back, and he's going to keep an eye on me, but he wants to see me play in the Prem first, and I think that's a good idea." He acknowledged the need to prove himself after spending two years away and expressed his focus on performing for Sale before thinking about an England return.
Having initially retired from Test rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa, Lawes admitted his return to England was unexpected. Reflecting on his decision, he noted, "All options were on the table last season - potentially staying at Brive, potentially coming back or retiring. They were all on the table, but you're a long time retired, and I can still move really well, so why not when you've still got it in your legs?"
From afar, Lawes observed that England have the talent to improve on an inconsistent 2025-26 campaign. "It's obviously been pretty up and down more recently," he commented. "They had an unbelievable autumn and then struggled in the Six Nations. It is hard to know exactly what's going on in camp, but obviously there's some issues; otherwise, they'd probably be playing a bit better than they are. With the squad they've got, they should be doing quite well."