Nathan Hughes scores for Racing 92 days after earning Fiji call-up seven years after last England cap

Nathan Hughes scored on his first Top 14 appearance of the season for Racing 92 on Saturday, coming off the bench in a 55-25 victory over Perpignan just days after being included in Fiji’s extended 68-man squad for the autumn.

The 35-year-old back-row, who earned 22 caps for England between 2016 and 2019, made an immediate impact from the bench in Paris, underlining his credentials ahead of a potential international debut for the country of his birth. Fiji face Japan on October 24, with Nations Championship fixtures to follow, and Hughes is now firmly in contention after missing out on the Flying Fijians’ squad for the Nations Championship in July.

Should Hughes be selected and take the field, it would mark a Test debut for Fiji some seven years after his final England appearance — one of the more striking examples of World Rugby’s international eligibility rules reshaping international squads in recent seasons.

Hughes is not alone among former England players to have switched allegiances. His former Wasps team-mate Jacob Umaga, who made his England debut in 2021, has since committed to Samoa, while prop Henry Thomas has represented Wales and Alec Hepburn has gone on to play for Scotland after their respective England careers ended.

Fiji will trim their extended group down before finalising their autumn programme, meaning Hughes’ place in the matchday squad is not yet guaranteed. His try-scoring cameo against Perpignan, however, will have done his chances no harm.