Courtney Lawes faces a challenging path to reclaim his place in the England rugby team ahead of the 2027 World Cup, following his return from international retirement and a move back to the Premiership. The 37-year-old, who signed for Sale Sharks after a stint with French club Brive, was notably absent from England’s first national training camp of the season, which concluded recently.

Lawes, a seasoned back row with 105 caps, and another France returnee, centre Joe Marchant, have been told their selections will depend on their performances in domestic play. Marchant, 30, who signed for Stade Français in 2023 following a strong showing at that year’s World Cup, also moved to Sale this summer. Both players made their debuts for Sale in a 50-28 Premiership Cup victory over Bath on Sunday.

England assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth acknowledged Lawes’s status as an experienced player and England stalwart but emphasized that returning players must demonstrate significant impact to displace current squad members. “We want as much quality as we can have in the league. But they are going to have to go and play well,” Wigglesworth said, adding that to include Lawes or Marchant, coaches would need to remove another player from the squad. “There are some good players in the room, so to put them in you have to leave someone else out, so they would have to go over and above that.”

Wigglesworth praised Lawes’s decision to come out of retirement, describing it as a strong statement of intent: “Courtney had done what he had done and said, ‘I have got an itch here and I am coming back.’ How good is that as a statement? ‘I am coming back because I want to do this.’”

With England preparing for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, both Lawes and Marchant will need to elevate their performances in the Premiership to compete for selection amid a deep pool of talent in the national squad.