Borthwick wants ‘best players’ for England team amid fears of exodus

Steve Borthwick has said he wants license to pick the strongest England team possible amid fears that an exodus of players heading abroad after the World Cup will weaken his hand. The Rugby Football Union’s strict criteria currently stops Borthwick from selecting players based outside England but with cash-strapped Premiership clubs unable to compete with overseas rivals, powerbrokers are under pressure to change that policy as part of an overhaul to the domestic game.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Simmonds, Joe Marchant and David Ribbans have all agreed moves to France after the World Cup while Jack Willis is on a short-term deal with Toulouse and only currently available for England after the RFU granted temporary dispensation to players who lost their jobs at Wasps or Worcester.

Due to the union’s long-standing policy, however, Willis – and all those heading abroad – will not be eligible after the World Cup while Manu Tuilagi and Billy Vunipola have also been linked with moves to Japan. Overseas clubs are able to offer more lucrative contracts than their Premiership counterparts, who are operating under a reduced salary cap.

The England vice-captain, Courtney Lawes, who is understood to have the option to leave Northampton at the end of the season, recently warned of the consequences for the national side of so many players suddenly becoming unavailable and Borthwick has revealed the issue is forming part of the discussions around the new Professional Game Agreement which comes into effect next year.

Citing a meeting with the RFU last week, Jamie George insisted those discussions have been positive against the backdrop of the threat of strike action by the Wales squad, which put into doubt England’s Six Nations fixture in