Bayonne and former Northampton lock ALEX MOON reveals why he's snubbed England, how Sale disappointed him, what he's changed so he can handle 'chaotic' French scrums and why he won't be joining the Biarritz surfing set

With his flowing, shoulder-length hair and immaculately-maintained moustache, Alex Moon fits in seamlessly with the locals as he takes a seat in a trendy Biarritz coffee shop.

Another clue as to how well the former Northampton lock has embraced life in France comes when he places his order. He opts for black filter instead of a flat white – so often the staple of rugby players across the globe.

‘I haven’t surfed since I’ve got here,’ Moon says, after taking a stroll past the city’s famous Plage Miramar. ‘If you see the build of a surfer here, it just isn’t me! They love it, but I don’t think it’s good for a second row’s back. My back is knackered after a TOP14 game, so it’s not a great recovery for me!’

Moon might not have taken up his new home’s seaside passion, but he has adapted to French rugby and European living more than successfully. Now 29, his last act in English rugby was to lift the Premiership title with Northampton in June 2024 before moving to TOP14 outfit Bayonne.

A powerful lock, Moon had spent his entire career with the Saints and was on the verge of an England breakthrough. He's a former England Under-20 international and took part in a 2020 training camp for the senior side under Eddie Jones. But after tasting English domestic glory, Moon left for France on a high.

He knew he was turning his back on an England cap due to the RFU’s rules around not selecting players based overseas. But he is happy with his lot, helped by joining Bayonne when they were upwardly mobile in the ultra-competitive world of French rugby.

Moon excelled in his first season as his new team made France’s play-offs against the odds. Bayonne are not one of France’s historically successful clubs. But they have started 2025-26 well, too, with a team that also includes former England centre Manu Tuilagi.

‘Leaving the set-up at Northampton where we were really starting to peak was something a lot of people questioned,' Moon tells Daily Mail Sport. 'I was only 27. But I’d come over to Bayonne and talking to the coaches and players and seeing the facilities, I liked what I heard and saw. You hear some stories in France about nightmare club presidents, but I’ve had none of those issues.

‘I’d been with Saints a long time – since the junior academy when I was 14. I’d known guys like Alex Mitchell and George Furbank pretty much since then. With England, I’d heard rumours I might be called into a camp here or there.

‘I did a few under Eddie. But I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to come to Bayonne based on hearsay or a remote chance. The only thing that would have made me stay was if Steve Borthwick had put it in writing that I’d be in with England for the foreseeable future. Obviously, that was never going to happen. 

'As a kid, I moved around so France was never going to be an issue. A stereotype from the UK is that you maybe get rubbed up the wrong way by the French. But I love them.' 

At a time when Leicester lock George Martin is on the sidelines, leaving a potential England opportunity to partner captain Maro Itoje this autumn, you might be forgiven for thinking Moon would have regrets about his France move. Not a bit of it. 

Borthwick is building a squad of such formidable strength and depth, there is no guarantee of England selection. Itoje, Martin, Ollie Chessum, Moon’s former Northampton team-mate Alex Coles, Nick Isiekwe and Charlie Ewels are all second-row options. As a result, Moon signed a two-year deal with Bayonne which expires this summer. 

'I completely understand the RFU rule,' Moon says. ‘I made my decision knowing full well what I signed up for. The interesting thing for me is someone like Zach Mercer. He was on top of the world at Montpellier. I don’t know what conversations he had, but he went back to Gloucester and didn’t get a look in with England. 

'He’s clearly such a fantastic player he’s found himself back in a good position with Toulon. I can understand why someone like him would be jaded with the England situation.

‘But I knew what I was signing up for. The PREM has a lot going for it. But it’s hard to say no to putting yourself in an environment like this. If you didn’t have the England incentive in the PREM, you’d see a lot of players moving over.’

So, does he plan on returning to England?

‘I’m loving it so much over here, the more time we spend, the longer I want to stay. I’ll look around but where we’re at right now, I’d love to stay with Bayonne,’ Moon says. ‘I had a good idea of what I was letting myself in for over here. I knew what the club’s expectations were, both generally and of me. We were hoping for top eight, maybe top six.

‘But things went really well and we made the play-offs. We exceeded expectations, but now that is our standard. We’ve recruited really well. We have a bunch of internationals. It’s gone as well as I could have hoped here. It could have been miserable, but I’ve really enjoyed myself.’

Moon and his partner Beth have just moved into a new property halfway between Biarritz and Bayonne. His team haven’t lost at home in the league for more than 500 days and have already beaten both Toulouse and Toulon at the Stade Jean-Dauger this term. The win over defending champions Toulouse was Bayonne’s 40th consecutive home sell-out.

‘I wanted to be the right side of 30 when I negotiated my next contract,’ Moon says. ‘I’d like to think I played very well last season and it would be nice to prove my worth even more.

‘I love the north west of England. It’s where my family is from. But I remember a few years ago we opened up the season with Northampton at Sale and there were 3,500 people there. In pre-season with Bayonne, we had 16,500 to our game with Biarritz. And we lost! We had a right telling off. They do match days so well here. It’s so good. That’s what I love.

‘Every game is just so special. As a player, you like to think you have your style of rugby and you can transition that into any team you play for. But I have had to develop and bulk up a bit here. 

'In the PREM, I’d play games where I’d have zero carries but hit 30 or 40 rucks. I’d come off the pitch and be more than happy to play a game like that. Here, because it’s a looser style of play, I’ve had to become a better ball-carrier.

‘You get some absolutely f****** enormous lads over here. Some are 135kg. You have no choice but to run headfirst into them! Scrums are chaos here. Everyone goes for it.

‘They go in at every angle to try and win a penalty. Kyle Sinckler going to Toulon really helped them to level up their game scrum-wise. He brought a bit of a sensible English mentality – that not every scrum has to be a duel to the death!’