James Haskell calls for controversial law change ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup

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The current regulations, implemented in 2011, stipulate that individuals who choose to play rugby overseas are no longer eligible for selection to represent England.

However, certain exceptional circumstances have been granted in the past, as seen with Willis, who was selected for the Six Nations due to limited options following Wasps' mid-season collapse.

Nevertheless, there is now increased scrutiny regarding Willis' own eligibility, as he recently extended his contract with Toulouse until 2026. This places additional pressure on the RFU to reconsider their rules and review the situation.

Speaking to The Mirror, Haskell said: "I think you should 100 per cent do it (change the overseas law). I don't see why you wouldn't do it, I don't think it makes a difference.

" I think players should have the opportunity to go and play abroad, if that's where the market it is. What are the downsides? All your talent is going to go across.. it just doesn't work like that.

"They're not going to steal every player. It makes it more competitive, you get more life experience, gives more opportunities to shine and it is an incentive to improve the game in England. I just think that is the market, I managed to do it but not every player would do it, it is not made for every player.

"When I was at Stade, (Johnny) Sexton and (Dan) Lydiate went to Racing 92 - they all come back. You've got to be a certain type of player and those regional guys, the Welsh, the Irish, they're not all cut out for playing abroad.

"Some love it, but others come from close communities, they're looked after well at the likes of Leinster, they're round their families. Some can stomach it and boss it out, but not everyone will do it."

Owens, who hung up his whistle two years ago, has come up with five possible changes to encourage expansive rugby.

Owens wrote: "As for goal-line dropouts, I was a big fan initially because I felt it would prevent attacking teams from numerous pick-and-gos near the try line, with teams instead attempting to move the ball wide to avoid being held up and losing possession.

" But I'm not sure it has worked as planned. We still see plenty of pick-and-gos until teams get over, we still see plenty of mauls and the number of collisions hasn't decreased.

"We are also seeing fewer scrums near the goal line, and to be honest I'm not sure that is a good thing. The scrum needs to be an important part of the game, and right now we are not seeing the benefits of it. Rugby must continue to be a game for all shapes and sizes, and at all levels, too.

Attacking teams are also kicking longer knowing that if the ball rolls dead, the defending team has to do a goal-line dropout and they can get the ball back.

"We've also lost the short dropouts we used to see from the 22-metre line where teams would compete to win the ball back, or a quick dropout would be taken, because teams now backed up on their goal line just kick the ball long to escape and what happens? The opposition kick it back.

"From initially believing it would work, I would now like the goal-line dropout law to go to be honest. If anything it is having a negative effect."

Owens wrote: "When people say the caterpillar ruck is boring I agree for sure. We need to referee the 'use it' and five seconds law much better.

"I would even go as far and change the law to 'use it' after three seconds. The referee must call for the ball to be used when it is available, not wait for it to be halfway up the caterpillar ruck and then call it."

Owens wrote: "We should aim for good performances that facilitate good games. In my opinion, perfect has become the enemy of the good because people are striving for a standard that is unachievable. A frustrating over-reliance on the TMO is one result of this fear of getting things wrong.

"Pressure is being exerted on referees by spectators, social media users, coaches, players, performance reviewers and referee managers. That is a lot of people scrutinising everything. I think we need to take a step back and make sure we pick up the things that matter."

Owens, who would like to see the number of replacements reduced from eight to four our five, previously said: "This is something I have been saying for a long time.

"Every question and answer session I do I am always asked which law I would like to change and I always say I would like to see the substitution law changed.

"We as referees and referee managers in World Rugby, we're always looking at things that need to be applied firmer, which contributes to the safety of the game and that is an ongoing process

"It is a physical game and unless you change it beyond total recognition of what the sport is, you are going to have to accept that there is going to be a risk of injury, but a minimal risk if you compare it to people that are injured everyday in walking about doing nothing."

Owens wrote in his column for The Telegraph during the Lions series: "Some of the scrum-feeds from both sides - particularly in the second half by Cobus Reinach - were beyond a joke.

"I must say that I have been as guilty of not giving enough free-kicks for crooked feeds as any referee, but it has to be stopped as soon as possible now. Scrum-halves simply have to put the ball into scrums in an acceptable manner.

"Everyone you speak to about it wants feeds to be straight. Brian Moore has been making the point for years and I agree with him. Everyone comments on it, and there is no excuse. It has been allowed to creep in, after a brief crackdown a couple of years ago."