Dan Robson calls for England eligibility exceptions after Gloucester return

Dan Robson has backed the idea of limited exceptions to England's overseas-player eligibility rules in a World Cup year, citing the development of his former Wasps teammate Jack Willis at Toulouse. In an interview published by The Guardian on Friday, the scrum-half said he wanted England to be able to involve their strongest players at the next World Cup.

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Robson's comments were a proposal rather than an announcement of any change to selection policy. He acknowledged the importance of maintaining a strong English domestic competition while suggesting that a small number of special exemptions could be justified. He described Willis's progress in France as particularly impressive and said the back-row forward could offer England considerable value if the rules changed.

The 34-year-old has returned to Gloucester after four seasons with Pau, rejoining the club where he previously made 80 appearances. His first spell at Kingsholm ended 11 years ago. Robson and Willis both moved to France after Wasps' financial collapse forced members of their squad to find new clubs, and they remained in regular contact during their time abroad.

Robson also discussed what he had learned from facing Antoine Dupont. Rather than presenting individual attempts to stop the Toulouse scrum-half as a solution, he explained how Dupont could exploit defenders leaving their assigned roles by releasing a teammate into space. His account reflected the tactical demands of playing against leading French half-backs, alongside the benefits he saw from his own spell in the Top 14.

At Gloucester, Robson joins a squad featuring Wales internationals Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan, with Chris Boyd serving as technical director. He identified sustained performance as an important challenge for a club that has not reached the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. Having experienced Pau's improvement from relegation contenders, he said Gloucester had the resources required to make progress.

Robson said he continued to enjoy competing and felt physically well and mentally settled. His international career brought 14 England appearances, all as a replacement, and was interrupted by deep vein thrombosis after his debut in 2019. He made clear that his return to English club rugby was motivated by the pursuit of success, rather than simply extending his playing career.