Losing Lewis Ludlam to France a bigger blow to Premiership’s credibility than England’s

And so the exodus continues. Following in the footsteps of England internationals Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds, Jack Willis, David Ribbans, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundell, Lewis Ludlam has become the latest to say good bye to the Premiership and bonjour to the Top 14.

From next season, the England back rower will wear the rouge et noir of Toulon, ending a seven-year professional association with Northampton Saints, his boyhood club.

Given the 27-year-old’s ubiquity in the early stages of England head coach Steve Borthwick’s tenure, the news might at surface level look a considerable blow to the national team. Ludlam, with 25 caps for his country, played an integral role in the England squad at both the World Cup and the Six Nations — and, with Tom Curry ruled out of this year’s championship, Ludlam’s services might be more in demand than they once were at international level.

The key word there, however, is ‘squad’. Ludlam has seldom been first choice for his country and, on the occasion where the back rower has started, there has always been the feeling that he might be keeping the seat warm for others. That is not to belittle his abilities; he is a fine, versatile player who has always demonstrated confrontation, heart and soul at international level. But Borthwick now has a clean slate, with the aim of building a world-beating side ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Does Ludlam, at 27 years old, form an integral part of that, on the basis that there are only around an estimated 25 hybrid contracts on offer for senior internationals from the Rugby Football Union? The harsh reality, given that by 2027, as a flanker, he may well be in his twilight years, is probably not.

Ludlam rarely drops below a 7/10 on England duty, but he is seldom higher than that, either. That might sound like a backhanded compliment but there has to be a place in English rugby for excellent players who are not quite world-class. Sadly, with the arrival of the hybrid contracts, it is that type of player who may be more tempted by a move across the Channel than most.

The bigger blow, therefore, is to Northampton — and the Premiership. Ludlam, club captain of the Saints even with the presence of Courtney Lawes, is exactly the sort of player that the league needs to be keeping hold of. Not a world superstar, but an icon in Northampton; an idol for young (and old) Saints’ fans to look up to and believe in.

It is on these sorts of shoulders that club rugby was built; and it will be on these sorts of shoulders that it survives. If more of Ludlam’s ilk follow him to France, then it might not be long until we see the sort of squad layout which is being experienced in Wales, starting XVs comprised of first-choice internationals and academy players.

While Ludlam’s departure is a blow to Borthwick’s back-row stocks, next season Franklin’s Gardens — and English rugby’s top tier — might just feel a little less comforting than it once did.