Courtney Lawes: England legend backs end to overseas player bar

England have better access and control over players who are at Prem clubs. The clubs, in turn, benefit from central payments from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and more chance of retaining their biggest stars, who face international exile with a move overseas.

Other nations, such as New Zealand, France and Ireland, have a policy of picking home-based players, but some of England’s other rivals, such as South Africa, Australia and Scotland, lean heavily on players based abroad.

Borthwick has opted not to include either 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 Prem first.

The England coach adopted a similar approach when Owen Farrell returned from Racing 92 at the start of last season.

“I spoke to Steve a little bit,” said Lawes, who played 80 minutes in a 50-28 win over Bath in the Prem Rugby Cup on Sunday, to Rugby Union Weekly.

“It was just what I would expect – he knows I’m coming back and he’s going keep an eye on me, but he wants to see me play in the Prem first and I think that’s a good idea.

“I’ve spent two years away, let’s see how I go in the Prem first, I’m not really thinking about England before I can get up and running for Sale so that’s there’s no point.”

Lawes, who initially retired from Test rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa, said his return to England was not something he expected when he departed boyhood club Northampton in the wake of lifting the domestic title the following year.