Ex-England U20 star Joel Kpoku walks out on French club mid-season

Former Saracens star Joel Kpoku has effectively walked out on Section Paloise midway through the season, leaving the Top 14 outfit a year and a half before his contract had been due to expire in 2027.

Pau confirmed on Friday that the former England U20 lock had requested an immediate release from his deal, bringing an abrupt end to an 18-month stint in Béarn. The club accepted the request, despite a decent block of time still remaining on his contract.

Pau’s statement reads: “Joel Kpoku has requested to be released with immediate effect from his commitment to the Section. The club has agreed to favourably accede to his request.

“The Section thanks Joel for his work and dedication during his 18 months in Pau and wishes him the very best for the rest of his career.”

The 6’5, 126kg forward, who had arrived in Pau with high expectations after agreeing a three-year deal that was meant to run until 2027, is understood to have been unhappy at La Section. Kpoku has played a mere five games for Pau this season, with just two as a starter.

The Newham-born talent is free to move on with immediate effect.

The 26-year-old elder brother of Junior Kpoku – who can play both second-row and back-row – was once considered one of the most physically imposing young locks in the Gallagher PREM. His rise within English rugby took a twist when he decided to move to France in winter 2021, when the French-speaker quit Saracens for Pierre Mignoni’s Lyon.

“Various things happened away from the field,” Kpoku told RugbyPass back in 2024. “I won’t go into too much detail with that but in terms of what got me over the line was the fact that the old coach of Lyon, Pierre Mignoni who brought me across, was interested for quite some time.

“What made my decision a lot easier was the fact that I speak French, I’m a fluent French speaker. I don’t think I would have taken the opportunity if I wasn’t French-speaking. That made my decision easier and then having various conversations with my family and friends saying you might as well leap into the unknown, go there and see what it is about.

“Thankfully in that first year, I managed to break through, managed to win a Challenge Cup. It restarted my career because I didn’t really have that much game time at Saracens because I was coming off the back of being injured.”

His twin brother Jonathan plays for Albi in the Nationale, while this week, younger brother Junior is reported to be making a mid-season switch to Toulon, who are currently coached by Joel’s former Lyon mentor Mignoni. Could Joel follow Junior to RCT or could he be tempted by a return to the Gallagher PREM?