Baxter backs RFU overseas ban as Borthwick's England selection headache grows

Rob Baxter has thrown his weight behind the RFU’s overseas player eligibility rule, insisting the restriction must stay in place to protect the health of the Premiership, despite growing calls from within the game to scrap it.

The Exeter Chiefs head coach was responding to former England captain Courtney Lawes, who recently argued the ban should be lifted. Under the current policy, England head coach Steve Borthwick cannot select players based outside England, leaving him without Toulouse pair Jack Willis and Tom Willis, as well as Toulon duo Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam.

The list of unavailable players is set to grow. Bath loosehead prop Beno Obano has become the latest to effectively remove himself from England contention after agreeing a move to French club Pau, with his current deal at Bath running until July 2027.

“I just don’t think, for the good of the English game, you can do it,” Baxter said. “It’s not that I don’t understand the arguments. I do. There’s two arguments here — do you just want to make all the best players available to play for England, or do you want to build Premiership Rugby as part of how you build the England team?”

Baxter acknowledged his own club’s interests are tied to the debate, but argued the broader consequences of scrapping the rule would be damaging. “I always caveat any argument and say selfishly I’m talking about what’s good for Exeter Chiefs as well — because what’s good for Exeter, and every other Premiership side, is knowing there’s a real reason for your best English players to stay in this country.”

He warned against a purely finance-driven approach to player movement, pointing to other nations that have maintained strict eligibility rules with positive results. “If it just comes down to purely finance, then it’s a tough, competitive situation for us. You can’t pick and choose a model just to decide what will be good or bad for a country. For some countries they’re very strict on it, and it works really well for them. We’ve got to decide what we’re comfortable with and stick to it.”

The debate is unlikely to fade quickly. With French clubs continuing to offer salaries that English sides struggle to match, the pressure on the RFU’s eligibility policy is only expected to intensify ahead of the next Rugby World Cup cycle.