Image source, ShutterstockImage caption, Rob Baxter is the longest-serving director of rugby in the Prem
ByBrent PilnickBBC Sport England- Published1 hour ago
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter says England's rules on selecting only home-based players are the right thing for the domestic game.
Former England forward Courtney Lawes has called for overseas-based players to be eligible to be picked for the England side.
The 37-year-old, who has won 105 England caps, returned to the Prem this summer with Sale, having spent two years at French side Brive where he was ineligible to represent his country.
Under England's selection policy, players can only be called up from overseas clubs in exceptional circumstances.
Baxter feels it is important the rules are not changed.
"I just don't think, for the good of the English game, you can do it," he told BBC Sport. "It's not that I don't understand the arguments, I do.
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"There's two arguments here, do you just want to make all the best players available to play for England or do you want to build Premiership Rugby as part of how you build the England team?
"If the two go together then you have to have some kind of rules and regulations around where the English players play.
"I always caveat any argument and say selfishly I'm talking about what's good for Exeter Chiefs as well - because what's good for Exeter, and every other Premiership side, is knowing there's a real reason for your best English players to stay in this country.
"If it just comes down to purely finance, then it's a tough, competitive situation for us, and when people just throw it out there that players should be allowed to play anywhere they like, I think you've got to look down at the deeper repercussions of what may actually happen in the English game overall."
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Figure caption,Will we see Courtney Lawes in an England shirt again?
Under the rules as they stand, England are unable to call on players such as Toulouse back row Jack Willis - who was voted the best player in France in 2024-25 - as well as Kyle Sinckler, Manu Tuilagi, Billy Vunipola, Lewis Ludlam and former Exeter star Sam Simmonds.
Prem clubs benefit from central payments from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for their England players, with the national side having a greater say on their management as a result.
England's policy is similar to that of Ireland and New Zealand, while nations such as Scotland, South Africa and Australia do pick players from overseas.
"You can't pick and choose a model just to decide this is what will be good or bad for a country," added Baxter.
"For some countries they're very strict on it and it works really well for them. We've got to decide what we're comfortable with and stick to it."
