English players who opt to play for foreign clubs after the 2011 World Cup will no longer be selectable for the national team, the Rugby Football Union announced Thursday.

The RFU’s move is designed to give England the best chance of winning the World Cup when it is staged on home soil in 2015.

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England currently have three members of their senior elite squad – Jonny Wilkinson, James Haskell and Tom Palmer – playing in the French Top 14 championship.

However RFU chief executive John Steele warned that any players who choose a foreign club over an English one would only be selected for national duty under “exceptional circumstances”.

Steele has written to England players and their agents to provide advance notice of the risks they will be taking by leaving.

In the letter, he said: “As things stand today we have a number of elite players in various squads and clubs outside England, principally in France, and you may be considering that as your next career move.

“If that is the case then I wanted to let you know that it is our view that we are best served by having our England Elite Player Squad [EPS] and our England Qualified Players [EQPs] all playing in England at English clubs.

“We feel that enables our whole Elite department, including team management and coaches, as well as our technical, medical and sports science teams, to work more closely with EPS players to ensure that you are supported in the right way. We further believe this is easier to achieve working with the Premiership and Championship clubs with whom we have excellent relationships at all levels.

“So I would like to confirm that it is our strong intent, from the end of World Cup 2011 through the RWC 2015 cycle, to select our Elite Player Squads at all levels entirely from players playing at English clubs where at all possible.

“I would stress that this is not a change to our selection policy itself, players remain entirely free to play outside England should they so wish, but you need to understand that it is our absolute intention that we only select from overseas clubs in exceptional circumstances.

“It is for you and your agent to decide if you are willing to take that risk.”

AFP