Nathan Hughes ends seven-year Test exile with Fiji debut against France

Nathan Hughes will return to Test rugby for the first time in more than seven years when he starts at No.8 for Fiji against France on Saturday, having switched international allegiance from England after serving the required three-year stand-down period.

The 35-year-old’s 22nd and final England cap came in the 38-38 Six Nations draw against Scotland in March 2019. His Fijian heritage made him eligible to represent the Pacific Islanders, and head coach Jake White has no reservations about handing him an immediate starting role.

“Look, I think Nathan has done really well for Racing. The talk here in France is that he has played really well, and when he has played, he has carried well,” White told Fiji Village. “We have got Peceli Yato on the bench that can cover 8 as well, and there are not many teams in the world that can start with Hughes and then bring Yato off the bench.”

White drew on his experience with some of the game’s most celebrated No.8s to explain why the 115kg Hughes fits his vision of a winning side. “Just from my experience, when you’ve had big No.8s, that kind of No.8, you have good teams. You look at Dallaglio playing, you look at Danie Rossouw playing, you look at Duane Vermeulen — all the No.8s who’ve played in World Cups, they have had that kind of similar skillset.”

The South African coach also addressed concerns about Hughes’s mobility, pointing to the athleticism of Fiji’s locking options as a counterbalance. “Whatever people have fears about his pace around the field, we’ve got probably two locks who are quicker than most other locks in world rugby,” he said, referencing Mesake Vocevoce in particular.

Hughes is joined in the starting XV by his Racing club teammate, winger Selestino Ravutaumada. France, by contrast, have not selected a single Racing player in their matchday squad.

The absence of Viliame Mata from the tour makes Hughes’s arrival all the more significant, with White framing the depth at No.8 — Hughes to start, Yato in reserve — as one of Fiji’s genuine strengths heading into the fixture.