Jack Nowell will move to La Rochelle as the deal has been confirmed after months of speculation.

Nowell, 30, confirmed in May he would be leaving Exeter after 11 years at the club. A move to France had been reported and La Rochelle have released a statement. They have not confirmed the length of Nowell’s deal.

The winger playing in France means he will not be eligible to play for England any longer. Other England players have also made a move abroad, ending their England international careers, including Nowell’s former Exeter team-mate Sam Simmonds.

Nowell’s last opportunity to play for England, unless he returns to the country to play domestically, was at this year’s Rugby World Cup. However, he ruled himself out of contention.

“No World Cup, I’m not doing the World Cup. I am just going to chill,” Nowell told the RugbyPass Offload podcast. “I need to get my knee sorted. Obviously, it was a bit of a hard decision not to put myself in for selection for the World Cup.

“I thought it was probably one I had to make for myself and for my family as well.”

Jack Nowell: Was he involved in the 2023 Six Nations?

The star, who was a regular feature under Eddie Jones, was also not involved in the 2023 Six Nations.

He said: “I was in contact at the start with Steve and he let me know I wasn’t going to be involved in the Six Nations which was completely fair enough. New coach, new ideas.

“There comes a stage where everyone has got to make a decision about the team, so I was happy with that. It was pretty cool – it was my last year at the club anyway, so I really get to focus on trying to do the best I can for the club and trying to get us into the big games at the end of the season.”

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.