England loose-head prop Beno Obano has agreed to join French Top 14 side Pau from Bath at the end of the forthcoming season. This move will see the 31-year-old put his England Test career on hold.
Obano earned his fifth cap for England in July during the defeat by South Africa, coming off the bench to support first-choice Ellis Genge. England head coach Steve Borthwick is restricted to selecting players based domestically, a key part of the agreement between Premiership clubs and the Rugby Football Union regarding elite players.
Despite this, it is considered unlikely that England will rule out selecting Obano this season. This differs from the case of Tom Willis, who was exiled from the squad after announcing his move to Bordeaux-Begles for the 2026-27 season.
Obano's departure will also lead to further changes in Bath's front row. South African player Thomas du Toit left for the Sharks at the end of the last campaign, while Scotland international Jamie Bhatti joined Bath this summer.