Obano to shelve England ambitions with move to Pau
Bath prop Beno Obano has agreed to join France's Top 14 side Pau next season, a move likely to put his England career on hold. It follows a pattern of English players losing Test eligibility by heading to France.
Bath loose-head prop Beno Obano, 31, has agreed to join French Top 14 club Pau at the end of the current season, a move that will likely put his England career on hold. Because of an agreement between Premiership clubs and the Rugby Football Union, head coach Steve Borthwick is largely restricted to selecting players based in England.
Obano earned his fifth cap in July's defeat by South Africa, coming off the bench behind first-choice loose-head Ellis Genge. England already have depth in the position, with Harlequins' Fin Baxter, Northampton's Emmanuel Iyogun and Sale's Bevan Rodd all younger than Obano and competing for the role, while Sale's versatile Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 22, can also cover the position.
England are unlikely to rule Obano out entirely for the rest of this season, unlike the case of Tom Willis, who was dropped after announcing in October his move to Bordeaux-Begles for the 2026-27 season. Despite starting three Six Nations matches in 2025, performing well against Argentina over the summer and earning a central contract, Willis was left out as Borthwick focused on players available for the 2027 World Cup.
Unlike Willis, Obano does not hold a central contract, meaning he could still be considered for the 2027 World Cup, following a similar path to David Ribbans and Joe Marchant, who secured France moves before the 2023 tournament while remaining involved with England. Obano joins a growing group of England-qualified players based in France, including Jack Willis, Kyle Sinckler, Billy Vunipola, Manu Tuilagi, Lewis Ludlam and Sam Simmonds.
His departure adds to further changes in Bath's front row, following South African prop Thomas du Toit's move to the Sharks in Durban at the end of last season and the arrival of Scotland international Jamie Bhatti this summer.
