England coach Stuart Lancaster has revealed that he tried to persuade Toby Flood to stay at Leicester Tigers.
The 28-year-old fly-half will join Toulouse in the summer, which will rule him out of contention on the international scene.
"I'm disappointed that Toby's chosen to play in France next season," Lancaster told Sky Sports News. "I tried to encourage him to stay at Leicester.
"Toby's been great for us and I respect him and his decision. I've got a great relationship with him, but he understands our policy.
"I would rather make the decision now at this point 20 months out from a World Cup to give someone like George Ford or Stephen Myler the chance to show what they can do now."
Flood made his international debut in 2006 and has gone on to amass 60 caps for the Red Rose.
