Harlequins FC number eight and former England international Nick Easter has urged England Rugby boss Stuart Lancaster to move away from his stance of not selecting overseas based players and pick Steffon Armitage for the England team.
Easter has said that Lancaster can create a destructive pairing in the middle of the park with Armitage and club mate and England skipper Chris Robshaw as they look to go on an all out assault for the Rugby World Cup on home soil in the summer.
The 34 year old said that at this moment, Lancaster has no other option but go down that route, ending the long Test exile of the Toulon. Armitage has not played for the England Rugby first team since his move to French Top 14 side Toulon in 2011, with England’s policy of not selecting players based overseas blocking any chance of a return to the national team fold.
It is believed that the Rugby Football Union or the RFU is ready to revoke that ruling in order to allow for the return of Armitage as the England number eight for the Rugby World Cup. Allowing him to operate alongside flanker Robshaw would make for a mouth watering pairing in the middle of the park for England and the destructive power the pair will be capable of would make the England Rugby team firm favourites for the title.
Easter mentioned that England will benefit by not having one but two of those types of players on the field and he believes Lancaster has no other option but to go down that road.
He said that the idea of revoking the ruling on overseas based players might raise a few eyebrows but it would be better for the team, adding even South Africa revoked that ruling as well.