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'We are very, very close. Seeing that happen to him was just horrible'

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Tom Willis, the 22-year-old younger brother of injured England back row Jack, has spoken about he managed to get his head around the “horrible” injured suffered by his brother last Saturday to go out and star for Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership the following day.  

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Willis was shaken by seeing his 24-year-old brother suffer the devastating knee injury that has ended his season, but he turned around less than 24 hours later to score a first-half try in Wasps’ 17-13 league win at Worcester. 

“It was tricky in the build-up, the day before, that evening leading into it, thinking about Jack, seeing how was doing and the morning of the game I was quite concerned,” explained Tom, reflecting on a weekend of vastly differing emotions for the Willis siblings. 

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Eddie Jones on Jack Willis’ injury and the win over Italy

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Eddie Jones on Jack Willis’ injury and the win over Italy

“He had a scan that day (Sunday) but the thing is you have just got to get your head around it. You have got a game and you switch in for the team and everyone got around me as well, I got a lot of support. Once it kicked off the game was the only thing on my mind by then.  

“We are very, very close. Seeing that happen to him was just horrible. It hurt everyone. It wasn’t nice to see. No one enjoys seeing that. Most people don’t know what happened in the (England) game after that because they were so gutted for him. 

“In terms of the risk it [that injury] can happen to me, it’s just the nature of the game. It can happen to anyone and it is not going to do you any good speaking about that heading into games. You have just got to focus on your job.”

Wasps boss Lee Blackett was thrilled with how back row Tom handled that mental challenge of playing so soon having seen his brother get so badly injured. “Really good. I didn’t speak to Tom the previous day but other coaches had and he was pretty down and you could tell on game day. 

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“It was one of those where I was even thinking Saturday, do you get in contact? Maybe the best thing was to let Tom settle a bit. Such a ridiculously tight pair, they are. I knew Sunday would be a difficult challenge for Tom but the way he got over it, the way he played.

“He found out briefly just before kick-off that his brother hadn’t done his ACL so he got a bit of positive news in terms of that and it probably gave him that little bit of a buzz. What a performance from him. 

“I thought he was brilliant, especially the first half. Really, really happy with him because it was tough for us all to watch on Saturday, but when it is your brother and especially the relationship they have it must have been very difficult. 

“I was massively concerned,” he added, outlining his general concerns for the Wasps team following Willis’ injury with England. “I knew how it had impacted on me and some of our staff… I saw how upset people were and gutted for him. But the last thing Brad Shields said in the changing rooms before we ran out was there was one guy who would love to be here with us today, let’s go and put a performance out for him.”

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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