On Saturday afternoon, Junior Kpoku is hoping to remind England what they could have.
The 20-year-old, born in Stevenage but now starring for Toulon, is not hiding from the fact he wants to put himself in the shop window.
He will line up against Leinster in Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium, hoping to power his French employers towards the final, while also letting PREM clubs know he is a gun-for-hire.
‘You’ve got all the other clubs watching this weekend,’ Kpoku tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘It’s one of the biggest games. I need to perform for myself and the team, so I can show them what they’re missing out on.
‘I’m signed here until the end of the season and I don’t know what I’ll be doing yet. I haven’t committed to anywhere, so I’m still open to opportunities.’
Fluent in French, Kpoku quickly settled into life on the Cote d’Azur. Back in 2024 he told us that ‘France is not my country… playing for England is in my blood’. But times change, and this relationship is a two-way street in which he may need the RFU to stop playing hard to get.
Junior Kpoku, born in Stevenage but now starring for Toulon, is not hiding from the fact he wants to put himself in the shop window
He will line up against Leinster in Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium, hoping to power his French employers towards the final
He starred for England’s Under 20s but is ineligible for the senior team due to playing his club rugby abroad
He joined Toulon in January, on loan from Racing 92, and will qualify for France selection in 2028 if he signs another long-term contract in the Top 14.
‘It’s wonderful here,’ says Kpoku. ‘A nice life and I’m trying to take every opportunity they’ve given me. The coach here, Pierre Mignoni, coached my older brother at Lyon so there’s a family relationship.
‘I become JIFF qualified (seen as a French product under Top 14 rules) this summer so that’s a good thing, then in another three years I become French qualified. I haven’t signed the contract Toulon have offered me yet but, if I did re-sign, it’s probably a realisation that France is getting the best rugby out of me.
‘Look at Jack Willis. Him coming to France has got the best rugby out him. He’s been player of the season. If I do re-sign, we’ll see what happens in three years’ time, whether that’s getting the opportunity to play for France or going back to England and trying to play for England.’
Steve Borthwick has not been in touch with the 6ft 8in giant, who starred in England’s Under 20s World Cup win two years ago and can play in the second row or as blindside flanker. And now Kpoku’s team-mates from those age-group sides, such as Henry Pollock and Noah Caluori, are making their breakthrough in the senior setup.
‘Those guys are playing really well,’ says Kpoku. ‘Pollock deserves his opportunity. He played well on the Lions tour, had a bit of a sticky Six Nations, and he’s performing well for his club.
‘I wouldn’t say it impacts me. I have my goals and they have their goals. You could play for England now but we don’t know what’s going to happen next year or the year after that or in five years’ time. You might have an early peak, you might not have an early peak.
‘I understand why you have to be in the PREM to play for England. I understand why it was put there because they want to protect the English league. If they do open it, then everyone’s just going to go to France and Japan to play. If they lock it, no one can leave because they can’t play for England. I visited clubs. I won’t lie. I had the opportunity to go to Sale but had a bit of a bump on the way and it was a bit complicated to get through.’
Kpoku was part of the England Under 20s squad that won the Junior World Cup in 2024, alongside the likes of Henry Pollock (right)
‘You could play for England now but we don’t know what’s going to happen next year or the year after that or in five years’ time’
Toulon are bidding to reach a first Champions Cup final since they won it three years in a row from 2013 to 2015 – the first of which was inspired by Jonny Wilkinson (centre)
Back in Toulon, Kpoku has plenty of English company in the pack, in the likes of Kyle Sinckler, Lewis Ludlam and Zach Mercer. They are all hoping to prove a point on the big stage this weekend, as Toulon aim to reach their first Champions Cup final since winning the competition three years in a row from 2013 to 2015, a run that began by beating Clermont in the final in Dublin.
‘We know what we’re expecting,’ says Kpoku. ‘We’re pretty much playing against the Ireland national team so we know how Leinster attack it. They’re a bit like Glasgow but they’re tighter and they cheat (tactically) in a few areas of the game.
‘Rugby is like football down here. When you lose a game, you’ve got the public on your back. Now people on my street recognise who I am. The amount of pressure on you is horrendous but I like it. It makes you focus.
‘We’re not where we want to be in the Top 14 (Toulon are eighth). We went into the Stormers game in the Champions Cup to rebuild confidence and the DNA of the club. We did the same against Glasgow and we want to do the same against Leinster.’
