“RFU on board” – Nathan Hughes and four other players who’ve swapped nations for the Rugby World Cup

Head coach Warren Gatland says uncapped Wales prop Thomas can give his side "something a little bit different" after naming the former England player in his 54-man preliminary World Cup squad.

The 31-year-old won seven caps for England between 2013 and 2014 but is eligible now for Wales following a change in World Rugby's eligibility rules in 2022. Thomas' father hails from Swansea.

Gatland wants to assess him as he tries to add to Wales’ front-row depth. 

“He’s been at Montpellier and was involved with them winning the league,” said Wales’ head coach. “We’ve spoken to him years ago. 

“He probably brings something different. 

“The big focus for us is on the tight-five. We need that athleticism and mobility that we need to improve.”

Former England No8, Hughes, has announced that he is available to represent Fiji at the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Hughes won the last of his 22 caps for his adopted country during the 2019 Six Nations, and with eligibility rules having changed since then, he now hopes to represent the land of his birth.

When asked about his availability, Hughes stated, "Yes, 100 per cent," and added, "I’m just focusing purely on Black Rams and just playing as well as I can and letting the selectors do their job."

He went on to say, "The coaches and their staff are all in Europe at the moment and I’m not sure when they will be coming to Japan. We’ll wait until the day comes. If he picks me, we will make the decision then, but we have got two more games to go (at Black Rams) and we are trying to finish as high as we can up the table and go from there."

Hughes' desire to play for Fiji has been met with enthusiasm from fans and coaches alike.

Former Fiji coach, Ben Ryan, said: "Nathan Hughes is a world-class player and would be an asset to any team. If he is eligible to play for Fiji, it would be fantastic to have him involved."

The winger, who was capped twice by England in 201i9, was named in Scotland’s Six Nations training squad back in January.

The 31-year-old winger who plays club rugby for Bath qualifies to wear the thistle through World Rugby’s controversial new eligibility law which allows a player to switch allegiance if they complete a three-year stand-down period and have a close and credible link to the country they have moved to via birthright.

“My mum and dad are both Scottish through and through,” said McConnochie in a 2016 newspaper interview, soon after he committed to playing sevens for England.

“‘They’ve had a good joke about it all. They’ve not disowned me yet.”

The flying winger won five England caps, scoring a debut try against Argentina in 2017, but was due to be out of contract at the end of the season.

In his time with the Sharks, the New Zealand-born flyer scored 47 tries in 98 appearances for Sale during his five years at the club.

Now, Solomona has moved back home after his exit from Sale and looks destined to sign for another club Down Under.