A famous Noel Coward ditty once declared primly only “mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”. In professional rugby they play in the furnace of the regular season in France, a white-hot war of attrition lasting anywhere between 26 [Top 14] and 30 matches [Pro D2]; all the while knowing their efforts will never earn them another England cap.
The likes of Courtney Lawes, the brothers Willis and Vunipola, Manu Tuilagi, Jack Nowell, Joe Marchant and Dan Robson have all rolled up their trousers, knotted their hankies firmly on their heads and marched across the English Channel with sangfroid in their veins – and bodies ready to burn.
England supremo Steve Borthwick has steadfastly refused the temptation to invoke exceptions to the rule which denies him access to players plying their trade overseas, in leagues outside the Prem. When Wasps entered administration and Jack Willis signed on the dotted line with Toulouse, he remained available for England, at least temporarily. There was a window of opportunity to build a bridge from England to France, but it swiftly closed when the elder brother decided to extend his stay in the Haute-Garonne for another three years in April 2023.
England centurion Ben Youngs recently ruminated on the relevance of the rule on his For the Love of Rugby podcast.
“I do wonder now whether the rule of playing abroad is outdated,” said the former scrum-half. “I do think we have got to the period when it’s served its purpose, and if you go abroad you can still be eligible.”
There are counter-arguments to the ‘pick the best team and be damned’ theory of course, and the ex-Tiger and his co-host, Leicester and England prop Dan Cole, ran the gamut: the complicating factor of the need for release clauses, the lack of control of match minutes and associated player welfare issues, the different peaks and tapers on individual performance programmes.
Ultimately the twin Tigers worked out a top English professional in France can earn roughly £150k more across the Channel than he can in in the Prem; simply by being a dedicated ‘clubbie’, and even including the extra payments received by an England Test-match regular. It was a real eye-opener.
The single biggest destination for English players in the Top 14 has become the Var department of the Côte D’Azur. Ex-Quins and Bristol tight-head prop Kyle Sinckler, former Northampton second row Dave Ribbans, recent Gloucester number eight Zach Mercer and ex-Saint Lewis Ludlam between them formed 50% of the Toulonnais pack which ran on at Kingsholm to play the Cherry and Whites on Saturday.
The exclamation mark in the backs to frame all that power up front was provided by Oliver Cowie at number 12. The 6ft 4ins, 95kg Cowie was born in France to English parents and his gran pitched up at the Recreation Ground on 7 February 2025 to watch him play on the wing for the French Under-20s against England. Cowie is JIFF-qualified and a product of the Toulon academy. He is a sign of the times, of the new potential for rapprochement between France and England, and he was good enough to outshine England hopeful Seb Atkinson at the weekend.
Sinckler, Ribbans and Ludlam have all become key cogs in a rapidly-improving rouge et noir machine which may yet become a worthy successor to the ‘galacticos’ who won three consecutive Champions cups between 2012 and 2015, and at least two of them would add concrete value to England’s forthcoming Six Nations campaign.
With Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour ruled out of the tournament by injury, all things being equal in selection the natural replacement as bench tight-head would be Sinckler. The 32-year-old has been a partner prop to Ellis Genge at Bristol and the two know each other’s scrum preferences inside out. He started life at Toulon with a bang, making Midi Olympique’s ‘Top 14 team of the week’ three times in his first four starts, and he is probably more passionate about the scrum now than he was during his time in England.
“In France, there is more pressure in the ‘seams’, and I have had to adapt,” Sinckler said. “The spirit of the scrum is very different here. From the commands flexion, liez, jouer, the scrum is a story of life and death, it’s exhilarating. In England, we are more analytical. Here, the scrum, we put our emotions into it. It’s a whole city, a whole region that vibrates. In Toulon, you feel like a gladiator.”
Sinckler is playing probably playing five to six kilos heavier at the Stade Mayol than he was at the Stoop and Ashton Gate. And behind him, Ribbans tips the scales at around 130kg.
“I’ve probably put on another four or five kgs more than I was carrying at Saints,” said the lock. “It’s a fine balance. In this league, you need to have some weight behind you to make an impact in the tight carries and tough collisions. I’m involved in all the line-outs, calling those, so I still want to be explosive and have that as a strong point in my game.”
Sinckler and Ribbans represent exactly what Borthwick needs from his bench tight five in the Six Nations: leadership, physicality, and set-piece know-how. When club captain Charles Ollivon suffered a serious cruciate injury in early 2025, they turned to Ribbans as skipper, and a huge banner with the words “God Save Ribbans” silhouetted on the flag of Saint George was unfurled in the main stand. A sea of stamping fans in red and black, rising and falling in one heaving mass, celebrating an Anglicized South African. Like Sinckler, Ribbans paused for thought as he tapped into the emotion at the club: “Maybe the temperature heightens everything.”
Ludlam might find it slightly harder to break into the current England crop of five sevens, but he still has all the qualities the national side needs – able to play across all three positions, agile enough to win lineout ball, but with the six and seven skills to win the critical battles in contact. Ludlam still fits the profile of the superannuated seven hybrids Borthwick so prizes.
Like Sinckler and Ribbans, he has added ballast to cope with the physical demands of the Top 14.
“I dropped a lot [of weight] coming here, thinking French rugby is going to be more ball-in-play, a little bit more open, but the game is a little slower and more physical so I have actually put a little more on,” he said. “I’m about 114kg at the minute [he was 110 at Franklin’s Gardens], just because the games are more physical. You get a lot of big boys who just want you run straight at you more of the time.
“Here, the emotional side of the game is talked about a bit more. What they did well at Northampton was very clear and structured and it was problem-solving. It was, ‘We need to do, this because of this’.
“You leave the emotional side out of it a little bit more at Northampton. You talk about it on game day but here they are extremely passionate in training and [even] in meeting rooms before a game.”
The bright showers of flares, the pulsing noise, the supporters beating on the side of the team bus on the road to the Stade Mayol; the Pilou Pilou call to arms before the game. Rugby is a different experience in the Southwest of France, and England stands to benefit from the difference in attitude.
The Gloucester-Toulon game gave Test prospect Atkinson a taste of the difficulties he will face at a higher level. Atkinson is a good low tackler in the Prem, but he was twice brushed off by young Cowie in the first eight minutes.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
Atkinson also had his issues on the other side of the tackle. At 6ft 2ins he often carries high into contact at the front of Gloucester’s set-piece attacks, relying on his natural strength to get to ground – but against defenders as strong as Ludlam it opened him up to the choke tackle turnover.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
Ludlam had a full hand of tackle turnovers during the game: two choke tackle turnovers, with by another counter-ruck and then jackal in the space of just over 30 seconds.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
Sinckler was at the epicentre of a Toulonnais scrum effort which swept its opponents aside, ex-All Black Nepo Laulala and all.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 18, 2026
The high-profile Prem players who entered voluntary exile on the far side of the English Channel – some, like Lawes, for life in the second division of French professional rugby – were pilloried as the ‘mad dogs’ of the English game for abandoning all hope of wearing the red rose on their chests ever again.
Now the choice does not look so clear-cut. Jack Willis was named Top 14 player of the year last season and that is a significant achievement in a league bursting at the seams with stars. Pierre Mignoni is building a team of realistic aspirants for the Bouclier de Brennus and the Champions Cup, on a firm foundation of England ‘has-beens’ including Sinckler, Ribbans, Ludlam and Mercer, not to mention Cowie.
Sinckler and Ribbans would add value to England’s bid to reclaim the Six Nations title. Ludlam would help, even in an area where Borthwick enjoys an embarrassment of riches. The flag of Saint George which exclaimed ‘God Save Ribbans!’ could be due for an upgrade and an expansion, and it may only be matter of time before it flutters at the old cabbage patch. Maybe those midday mad dogs were not so mad after all.
Yes. Pick an English player every so often and the Top 14 clubs won't be so keen to sign English players.
With the respective pay discrepancies, if the ban was dropped you might find that most of the top elite English players would play in France. The perspective gained from playing two different philosophies would improve individual player’s standard adding to the overall boost to England. The Central contracts and their basis would be problematic and if the discrepancy in pay is such that D2 is more lucrative than the Prem then this may cause major issues for quality of Prem if shorn of all who can earn more in France.
What foreign players now would make an England 15/23?
As below they don’t need to junk the whole policy, they can adjust the number of caps needed to qualify or claim exceptional circumstances to pick maybe three or four key individuals who can help the NT.
They could even limit the number of overseas picks to the the top three - Jack Willis, Kyle Sinckler and Dave Ribbans.
There is a substantial grey area they can both manipulate to their advantage and exploit. The RFU should take advantage of it.
There is an argument this article should question, if ENG or NZ want to win RWC 2027, do they need to drop the overseas player rules immediately?
NZ would get Retalick, Mo’unga & Tale’a back, who would all likely make the starting XV.
ENG would get Jack Willis (probably starter), Sinkler & Ribbans (probably bench) and would also allow them to consider Tom Willis, who would also make the 36 (potential bench option).
3 players adding quality into a matchday 23 is quite a significant improvement at this level. I think it’s time for both countries to acknowledge its not helping their cause.
Don't need Sinckler or Ribbans.
As I understand it there are ‘exceptions’ clauses in both policies and it is surprising they don’t make more of them…
SB can legit say that there is not other THP with Sinckler’s experience and pick him for example.
I don’t think it’s such a big deal.
Morning NB - interesting article but the one thing I would also add is those players have likely improved whilst playing Top 14. Jack Willis certainly improved, as I suspect Tom will at UBB but Sinkler & Ribbans are certainly playing their best rugby and would all add to the England 36 and I suspect Sinkler, Ribbans & Willis would all make the matchday 23 this 6 Nations if they could be selected.
I think that is already implicit in the piece P - all four have prob improved in Top 14. Willis very obviously, while Ribbans and Sinckler both have something Eng lack. Ribbans’ size/leadership in the second row and Sinckler new feeling for, and experince in the scrum. They are better than the alternatives.
Great point, PMcD. Having moved countries myself, I’m thinking these English guys, like the Boks who play overseas, also benefit from the challenge of a different culture, languages etc. Just makes them more well-rounded. It’s great to see these guys talking about the passion, enjoying their rugby and playing so well.