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England's Jack Willis has his say on rumoured allegiance switch
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Toulouse flanker Jack Willis has distanced himself from rumours suggesting he will switch allegiance to represent Ireland.
Having won the last of his 14 England caps at the 2023 World Cup, the 29-year-old will become eligible for Ireland in the final months of 2026 through his grandfather, once he has completed World Rugby’s mandatory three-year stand-down period.
Willis is contracted with the French champions until 2029, and while there is a break clause in his contract allowing him to move to the Gallagher PREM for one season in order to represent England at the World Cup, there have also been rumours swirling that Munster have been in talks with the flanker to entice him to don a green jersey.
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Those rumours have been dampened by the reigning Top 14 player of the year, who said representing Ireland would put him in the same position as he is currently in regarding England, where he would have to move in order to continue his international career.
Joining his former England team-mates Ben Youngs and Dan Cole on the For the Love of Rugby podcast, Willis shed some light on his international future.
“I am quarter Irish and my granddad is fully Irish, but I think if it involves moving, then it puts me in the same situation that it would for England, the same rule,” he said.
“There are always different things you can think about, but I think you can knacker yourself out if you’re always thinking about changing and moving and going here and there. Sometimes you’ve got to accept your reality, and now I feel my reality is pretty good and I’m pretty grateful for being part of this club.”
Willis was, of course, quizzed on his England future, but he equally distanced himself from a return to Steve Borthwick’s set-up.
While he said he will look back and think he had “a bit more to give” in Test rugby, he accepted that the “rule is the rule” and he does not regret his decision to remain in France.
“I think there will always be part of me that will look back thinking I had more in me from an international point of view,” he said. “I don’t regret my decision to stay here, I think the way it came about at Wasps, I didn’t choose to leave England, but I chose to stay. I love it here and I chose to stay, that’s the first thing. I don’t regret that.
“As an athlete, as a competitor, I don’t think I showed the best version of Jack Willis in an England shirt and I think there are reasons for that that I look at, for me, where I could have done better. The way the World Cup unfolded in 2023, I didn’t have many involvements but I think I’ve grown as a player and as a person. I think I could offer more now, but I when I re-signed this long-term contract, I understood what came with that from an international perspective and you’ve got to make peace with that, otherwise, why are you locking in at that moment?
“I think there will always be part of me that thinks there was a bit more to give, but I also don’t regret my decision. This club is an incredible place to play at and the rule is the rule and you have to make peace with that.”
