France give Armitage new international lifeline

Former England flanker Steffon Armitage could be given another chance to play international rugby after France named him on a 10-man list of “foreign players potentially eligible” to play for the country.

Twenty-eight-year-old Armitage played five times for England between 2009 and 2010 but after joining Toulon in 2011 his England career has stalled.

English players who play their game outside of England are not considered for England selection unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

IRB eligibility rules permit a player to represent a country after they have completed 36 consecutive months of residence immediately before being selected.

Once a player has represented a country at international level they are no longer able to represent another country at a later stage in their career.

However there is a loophole in the IRB qualifying regulations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro that enables players to switch national allegiance.

If a player makes one appearance for a country in the sevens game at the Olympics they can represent another country in the 15 man game if they have a passport for that country and they have not been capped for 18 months.

This means that should Armitage make an appearance for France in the sevens game at the Olympics he would then be eligible for selection for France in the 15 man game.

Armitage won the European player of the year last season after helping Toulon to Heineken Cup and Top 14 titles.

Other players named on the list of possible players include South African scrum-half Rory Kockott and Australian fly-half Brock James.