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Some fans feel Jack Willis' supremacy at the Premiership breakdown has him primed for England call

By Josh Raisey
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones’ job to whittle down all his England back row options to five or six players next month is not an enviable puzzle, all the more so now that uncapped Jack Willis is putting his hand up for inclusion with his form at Wasps.

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It’s no exaggeration to say that the Australian could field four completely different trios at the back of the scrum, all of which would be Test standard – such is the level of competition across the Gallagher Premiership at the moment. 

One player, however, who seems to be leading the charge for his first Test cap ahead of an extraordinarily competitive field is Willis. 

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England forward Courtney Lawes guests on All Access, the RugbyPass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

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England forward Courtney Lawes guests on All Access, the RugbyPass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

In an inspired season so far, which has seen Wasps steadily climb up the table, the performance of the 23-year-old Willis against Bath on Monday put him in a position whereby many feel it is almost impossible for Jones not to pick him for the upcoming internationals in October, November and December. 

Not only that, but there is also talk on social media of the flanker even making the British and Irish Lions squad in 2021. 

As stated, Willis faces stern competition in what is now England’s most abundant area of choice on the field. Jones and his selection team are ultimately going to disappoint a number of worthy players in the coming weeks by overlooking them. 

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Although there is plenty of hysteria over the Wasps player’s performance at The Rec, both Curry twins at Sale Sharks are equally in insatiable form as are those in the No8 shirt as well. 

What will perhaps please Jones the most is that so many players bring different qualities, and it is currently Willis’ supremacy at the breakdown that nearly leaves him with rival amongst his compatriots. 

If he were to be selected, this would not be the first time that Willis has been called up to the England squad as he was set to travel to South Africa in the summer of 2018 before a cataclysmic knee injury delayed the upwards trajectory of his career. 

Since then, he has seen a handful of players break onto the scene in the back row for England, but he is showing the form necessary to warrant a call-up again.

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Adrian 44 minutes 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

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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