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The Jack Willis news Steve Borthwick doesn't want to hear
By Neil Fissler
Toulouse could be set to deliver England coach Steve Borthwick another body blow and offer Jack Willis a new long-term contract that would run beyond the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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The Reading-born 27-year-old is under contract until next June, but there is an option for another year which needs to be activated by December. The whispers coming out of France are that they would like him to stay for longer.
Educated at Henley College, Willis made 79 appearances for Wasps until they folded in October 2022, making the move to La Ville Rose, the fourth-largest city in France, a month later.
The switch across the channel has been an outstanding success for the father of two, who has won back-to-back Top 14 titles and the Investec Champions Cup, beating Leinster in last season’s final.
Willis, who can play all three back row positions, has fitted in perfectly alongside the likes of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack in Ugo Mola’s star-studded squad.
It appears to be a two-sided love affair that is not going to end anytime soon, with Willis admitting last season, “We want to win things, and that is the thing I love about being here. I fell in love with that the minute I got here.”
Willis has made 40 appearances for Toulouse, including three this season, which all ended in victory. However, he has missed the last two games against Bordeaux, a re-run of last season’s Top 14 final, and Castres, and they have lost both.
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The forward had won 14 England caps before a neck injury ended his 2023 World Cup campaign but he is not eligible for selection as things stand because of the RFU’s policy of not selecting players who ply their trade overseas.
Saracens, who have his younger brother Tom within their ranks, are long-time admirers, but it seems that not even the prospect of a family reunion will be enough to tempt Willis to swap France for North London.
It's a ridiculous scenario that through no fault of his own Willis was forced to find a new job overseas due to the collapse of Wasps. If stories are to be believed then with reduced salary caps and squads already in place nobody in the Premiership was in a position to offer him a contract at the time so he was left with no alternatives but to continue his work elsewhere. Had Wasps not folded it's very likely he'd still be there now. As it is he's ended up at about one of the most attractive clubs in the world, I assume is being paid a good whack, doesn't have to worry about job security and is performing well on the pitch.
"Toulouse could be set to deliver England coach Steve Borthwick another body blow and offer Jack Willis a new long-term contract that would run beyond the 2027 Rugby World Cup."
Nothing to pin on Toulouse, Neil. It is all self inflicted by the outdated, and in my view very foolish rule that England persist with. It is very unfair that Steve Borthwick has to work without the handful of top players he should have.
I’m happy that things are going well for him abroad. 👍
This is fine. Lets just focus on the players who are committed to english rugby!
"Lets just focus on the players who are committed to english rugby". And continue to fail competing with teams like the Boks who recognise that rugby has now become a professional sport.
At least we have Tom if all else fails.
Obvious choice between a great player and a fantastic club.
Go duck yourself, Jack.