1
'He's heavily motivated now': Wasps provide latest update on Jack Willis' England injury
Wasps boss Lee Blackett has issued the latest update on Jack Willis, explaining that further specialist advice is needed within the next fortnight before a full prognosis can be made about the damaged suffered by the England flanker during his country’s round two Guinness Six Nations win over Italy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Willis played just six minutes as a replacement in last Saturday’s victory, scoring a try for England and then significantly injuring his knee when he was crocodile rolled at a breakdown by Italy’s Sebastian Negri.
There was a crumb of comfort voiced by Blackett in that the back row’s ACL is intact, but the Premiership club coach wasn’t in the mood to downplay the significance of a setback that is likely to keep Willis out of action until next season.
“He is going to see the specialist again in the next ten to 14 days but it is a pretty significant injury in terms of knee ligament and cartilage,” said Blackett at his weekly Wasps media conference on Tuesday.
“We will know a lot more when he sees that specialist when it just settled down in the next ten to 14 days and then timescale wise, the injury is associated with a pretty lengthy time out. I can’t tell you exactly how long out but it’s a significant injury.
The latest update from the England camp on how badly injured Jack Willis is…#SixNations #ENGvITA https://t.co/CLEfpf14Fv
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 13, 2021
“When we know a lot more I will give a lot more detail on it, but at this moment of time the ACL is intact, it’s alright. There was some comfort, it was positive news that ACL hadn’t gone but I don’t think we can get away from how significant an injury this actually is. He is going to be out for a good chunk of time.”
It’s the second serious knee injury that the popular Wasps player Willis has suffered in his career but Blackett, who himself knows what it is like to be out of the game for an extended period as he missed a year of his own playing career with a broken leg, added: “I can’t tell you what happened in the game after Jack got injured. It was pretty gutting.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Anyone who knows Jack knows what type of person is he is. He cares so passionately about what he does and how serious his last knee injury was, to fight his way through it to then see it (happen again)… he is tough as they come and to see the pain on his face you knew it was serious. Everyone was the same. I spoke to a couple of staff. It was a pretty dark place and even the next day (Sunday when Wasps played at Worcester), you could see players coming in pretty down about it.
“He is someone everyone has a close attachment with. Everyone in the end was pretty gutted. You see things on social media and see how other people have reacted who maybe don’t know Jack as well and it seems there were a lot of people like that at the weekend.
“I have only spoken to him a few times in text. You just feel when there is that many people messaging him to just let him settle. I spoke to Tom [his brother] as well about him this morning and he [Jack] is pretty down. Probably because when you have had a serious injury you know what is coming and you know what a big challenge it is. He will feel that at the moment but the one thing about Jack is he is an out-and-out professional and he will get back as quickly as anyone can get back. He is heavily motivated now.”
Wasps have been employing the services of a psychologist at their club since Blackett took over from Dai Young last year and the coach imagines Willis will be making regular use of that facility during his comeback. “One thing we have definitely found with these injuries, some times players are alright early on because it is a bit of a shock and it’s when the reality sets in so I’d expect that at some point. There will be plenty of highs and lows throughout the whole of this.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Blackett also commented on the crocodile roll tackle which is currently legal, explaining it isn’t something Wasps themselves coach their players to do. “We would never coach the crocodile roll, it’s not something we would coach. I’m not saying our players don’t do it. Sometimes they do it instinctively but that is 100 per cent, we would never coach it. We’d used more levers to remove the threat.”
???#sixnations https://t.co/gg8qbYBOH1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 14, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to comments