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RFU chief says door still open for Toulon flanker Steffon Armitage

Ian Ritchie RFU chief executive
Image: Ian Ritchie: RFU chief executive has given Steffon Armitage great encouragement

The Rugby Football Union's chief executive Ian Ritchie has told Sky Sports News HQ that the door is still open for back-row forward Steffon Armitage to play again for England.

English rugby fans would surely love to see this year's European player of the year line up for his country in the 2015 World Cup on home soil but he has not played for England since moving from London Irish to Toulon in 2011.

Armitage is currently not considered for selection as, due to RFU policy, he cannot feature as he is playing his rugby outside England.

However, Ritchie said the 29-year-old could return to the international fold under the exceptional circumstances rule.

Ritchie said: "There is an exceptional circumstances clause. The usual question is 'what does that mean?' By definition almost, you can't say what is an exceptional circumstance. So who knows what's going to happen?

"Who knows what happens with injuries, who knows what happens with form but we're very happy with the policy it's the right thing in professional rugby."

The new year sees the 2015 Six Nations Championship kick off, starting in February, while the quest to win the Webb Ellis Cup will begin in London in less than 10 months time. 

England claimed the Triple Crown in 2014 but were runners-up to Ireland on points difference in the final standings after losing the opener 26-24 in France.

Lancaster's men then lost three times in New Zealand in the summer before losing at home to the world champions All Blacks and South Africa in their opening autumn internationals.

England halted the run of six defeats by beating Samoa 28-9 and then World Cup pool rivals Australia 26-17 in successive weeks in south-west London.

Lancaster, 45, signed a new long-term RFU deal in October to take him up to 2020 and Ritchie has been impressed by the Cumbrian's spell in charge since taking over from Martin Johnson in 2012.

Ritchie said: "We obviously feel the pressure, you want to feel the pressure. Again, (in) 2015, there's going to be some, absolutely, tremendously strong pressure on Stuart and the squad.

"You've got to look at the underlying trends. We're in a very good place. We played a lot of very good rugby during the year as a whole and we're going to be even stronger in 2015 with the people coming back.

"If you look at the last three years of what's happened to the English rugby team, we've been in a very good place by comparison to where we were before Stuart took over. I think we're much more integrated, we've got a very much connected approach across the Union as a whole.

"I think the team and the squad, any of us who have the pleasure of going to the training camps, can see how powerful the squad is, how connected they are, and I have absolutely no doubts about giving the contract to Stuart that we did.

"I think it's right to give him and the rest of the coaching team some complete confidence going forward and that they're completely secure in their positions."

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