Jack Willis: I felt England moved the goalposts ? but I am growing at Toulouse
Exclusive: Back rower has seen 'bit of a shift' in attitude to international eligibility, but it has not affected his commitment to Top 14
Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer 21 January 2024 ? 8:00am
Life is good for Jack Willis. He and his fianc?e, Megan, having got engaged by the sea three months ago, welcomed a daughter to the world last week. Along with Enzo, their two-year-old boy, the family are thoroughly enjoying the south of France.
Willis was relieved to return to the pitch against Toulon two days before Christmas, having recovered from neck surgery. He remains enormously grateful to Toulouse, the club he helped to the Top 14 title, and is itching to help them win a sixth European crown.
But the 27-year-old also wears his heart on his sleeve. At the mention of the World Cup, he cannot help but be honest. Willis charged over to score with the final action of England?s 71-0 win over Chile. Days later, however, his tournament was finished after that one appearance. Willis woke up with decreased strength in his left arm, yet endeavoured to push on and put himself in the frame to face Samoa. A bang in training made matters worse and scans revealed a bulging disk that was pressing on the nerve supply.
?I spoke to the surgeon on the Tuesday night, I think,? Willis remembers. ?Then I was gone at 6am the next morning back to England to see if an injection would work. I didn?t get to go back into the team environment or get to say goodbye to everyone.?
It is not unfair to suggest that the hollow experience represented another dip in a rollercoaster year, featuring the devastating low of Wasps? demise and the dizzying high of beating La Rochelle in the Top 14 decider. Willis started four Six Nations games but was starved of World Cup game time. Candidly, he wonders whether he ?truly added to the group?.
Upon signing for Toulouse last November, Willis became a pawn in a lively debate over England eligibility rules. Discussions have hardly died down since, with the predicament of Henry Arundell, who opted to stay at Racing 92 rather than return to the Premiership, only amplifying opinions on either side. Willis describes two aspects of his situation powerfully. Firstly, he felt as though eligibility goalposts were being moved during his negotiations over an extension with Toulouse. Secondly, Willis reiterates the uncertainty that he and Arundell, previously of London Irish, were thrust into.
?For me, the choice to stay here was based on being at a place where I was going to be pushed to be the best I can be,? he says. ?There has been a bit of a shift on whether the rule might change. When I was signing, it was heading towards that it was going to change. Now it has done the complete reverse.
?I wouldn?t change my decision because I feel I made the right one for me, my career and my family. I think one thing that sometimes gets swept aside is the fact that every player at Wasps, Worcester and London Irish was let down by the system of that club and let down quite significantly to the point where you couldn?t provide for your family in the months that followed.
?There are friends of mine that still haven?t found another job. And you don?t get over that quickly or regain trust immediately. Toulouse took me in when I didn?t have any other offers in England. The opportunity they?ve given me is incredible and I?ll always give everything I?ve got to the club.?
Uniquely, during last year?s Six Nations, Willis had been something of a guinea pig for the potential logistics if Rugby Football Union rules were altered and players from foreign leagues were able to represent England again. He had to hop the Channel a few times, and was overlooked for the opener against Scotland after missing the first week of training, but believes the system can work.
?I?d definitely do it again,? Willis confirms. ?That?s the first thing I?d say. The second thing is that Toulouse couldn?t be more supportive. After I wasn?t selected for the Scotland game because I hadn?t trained the week before, I was gutted. But the club said ?look, what do you need to do?? They asked if I wanted to go back for eight weeks and be there all the time. We had a really open dialogue between me, Richard Hill [the England team manager] and the guys here.
?Steve [Borthwick, the England head coach] and Hilly were brilliant and so were Toulouse. We showed that it can work, but the RFU have to make decisions on what they feel is best for the
Renowned as a crafty, disruptive defender, Willis wants to broaden his horizons as a back rower. ?If I look back at some of my early Wasps games, it would have been ?catch the ball, head down, keep hold of it?,? he laughs. ?Here, if you want to add to attack as well as defence, you have to open up your game.? He is doing plenty of post-training extras with David M?l?, an assistant coach to Ugo Mola, and admires how Toulouse encourage players to push boundaries in team training sessions.
Willis already appears to have developed a strong affinity with supporters. He rates the Top 14 final at Stade de France, a tense affair clinched by Romain Ntamack?s wonder try, as the best atmosphere he has ever experienced. Raucous celebrations followed and Willis does not mind admitting that he welled up during a victory parade when, from the team bus, he saw around 25,000 people crowding the city?s Le Capitole square.
Earlier this month, Borthwick expressed his desire for Arundell and Joe Marchant to return to Premiership clubs, from Racing 92 and Stade Francais, respectively, to become available ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Contrary to Will Carling?s claim that England duty is slipping from the ?pinnacle? of players? ambitions, Willis stresses that wearing a white shirt ?will always be a priority?. So too, though, will be playing in big club games.
With the added responsibility of a young family, Willis says that any potential move could not be rushed. ?Whatever opportunity is there to bring me back, it would have to be right in a lot of ways,? he adds. ?That is always the case when you?re moving club. Here and now, after all the turbulence I had last year, I?m enjoying having a bit of stability over the next couple of years and focusing on how good I can be for this club.
?It?s not as easy as saying ?move your life back to England now?. There have to be other factors that line up. One thing I want to be clear on is how much I will always want to play for England. I realise how competitive it is. It was clear to me, with the stage I?m at and from the little involvement I had at the World Cup, that I need to focus on my improvement so I can hopefully come back ? or [be ready] if the rule changes ? and be in a position to feature more regularly. That?s got to be me playing rugby, wherever I am, and improving each game.?
Jack Willis salutes Toulouse's fans after their rout of Ulster in the Champions Cup this month; Jack Willis: I felt England moved the goalposts ? but I am growing at Toulouse
The biggest compliment one could pay Willis is that he has truly enriched a squad decorated by stars such as Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Emmanuel Meafou, Thomas Ramos, Ange Capuozzo and the brightest of them all in Antoine Dupont. This weekend against Bath, Willis starts in a back row that also features Anthony Jelonch and Fran?ois Cros. Blair Kinghorn, the dashing Scotland full-back, is settling nicely, too. Toulouse lost to Leinster in a Champions Cup semi-final last year, with Willis impressively combative in defeat. By beating Bath, having already thrashed Cardiff, Harlequins and Ulster, Mola?s side should be at home for the last 16 and later in the competition. Willis points out that a huge league encounter against Racing 92 precedes the Six Nations, a tournament that could be a difficult watch for him.
?I?m an England supporter as well as someone who is lucky enough to have played for them,? he says. ?I?ll always be keeping an eye on how things are going, wishing the boys in the squad and the coaches the best for the tournament. But I can?t get too bogged down with it. I can?t watch it thinking, ?I?m missing out?. I have to think, ?This is my reality.??
?I feel comfortable with the decision I?ve made. If I?m honest, things did shift around. I thought that things may still have been open and things change, but that?s the way the world works. I?m very grateful for the opportunity I have now.?
The opportunity Willis has now is to continue excelling for Toulouse and to remind those in England, and everywhere, of his rare ability to influence games. Anything else is beyond his control.
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