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Jack Willis pleads with the RFU for change after leaving England for France
England and Toulouse flanker Jack Willis has urged the Rugby Football Union to reconsider its policy which prevents the selection of foreign-based players.
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The 26-year-old’s international career hangs in the balance as he is set to remain in France for the foreseeable future having recently agreed a three-year contract extension.
Willis initially joined the Top 14 side on a short-term deal in November after being left in limbo when former club Wasps entered administration.
England boss Steve Borthwick has special dispensation to select the back-row forward this season following Wasps’ demise but that situation is poised to change following the autumn World Cup.
Willis insists it “wasn’t feasible” for him to remain in the Gallagher Premiership due to financial restrictions amid a squeezed salary cap and feels Toulouse is the best place for him to progress and enhance his Test credentials.
“It’s something that I think should be discussed and has to be discussed really,” he said of the RFU policy.
“It’s not up to me how these decisions go. If it was, I think I know which way I’d be heading for.
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“Hopefully they think it through and hopefully things can change to a degree and open up a little bit more on the leniency.
“To play for England, you’ve got to play your best rugby and I felt like this was the right place for me to develop as a rugby player and be the best player I can be.
“I know those two things sort of contradict at the moment but I am hoping it ends up changing so they can align slightly better.”
Willis is currently lining up alongside the likes of France stars Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, Julien Marchand and Thibaud Flament at club level, in addition to Italy’s Ange Capuozzo.
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He was among England’s standout players during the Guinness Six Nations and believes Borthwick understands his decision to stick with Toulouse.
With Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Marchant, Sam Simmonds, David Ribbans and Jack Nowell all moving to French sides next season, the England head coach has said he wants licence to pick the best players.
Willis has been “blown away” by his club’s backing in terms of his England career and did not feel the need to include specific clauses relating to future international availability in his new contract.
“I really hope the rules do change because I know that the guys here will support that as much as they can,” he said.
“The one thing about Toulouse is they want their players playing international rugby, whether that’s for France, for Italy, Argentina, Australia, England. They know how ambitious we are as players and they want to help us fulfil that dream.
“I was sort of blown away by their support and their willingness to put my best foot forward and, whatever I wanted and needed for the England stuff, they wanted to support, no matter what the situation it left them in here. The give and take has been fantastic.
“Day in, day out being here I realised the quality that I’m around. I’d have felt silly turning that down, so that’s what fundamentally my decision came down to.
“I feel very, very fortunate that I’ve ended up at such a special club.”
Willis is preparing to face Leinster in the Heineken Champions Cup semi-finals on Saturday in Dublin.
Speaking of his conversations with Borthwick, he said: “I let Steve know once I’d made my (contract) decision and he was great.
“Steve has been fantastic since he’s been in charge and I’ve really enjoyed working with him.
“It’s something that I really hope I can continue as well because he’s a great coach and he really supported me.”
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments