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The mind trick Jack Willis is playing on himself to ensure his jackalling is ready for England
Jack Willis has revealed the mind trick he has played on himself to enable his game to flourish to such an extent that many Premiership fans are clamouring for the Wasps back row to be called up to Eddie Jones’ England squad.
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The 23-year-old had his first selection by England ruined in 2018, a Premiership tackle shortly after he was included for the tour to South Africa taking a devastating toll on his body and preventing him from being the best he could be for around 18 months.
Just over two years on from that brutal setback, he is enjoying the form of his life in putting his body back in without hesitation to where it hurts at the breakdown. The reason? He constantly reminds himself that his injury was caused by a tackle and not when jackalling.
Speaking to The Rugby Pod, the weekly show fronted by Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton, Willis explained the reason why he has no fear contesting the breakdown. “If I had done it jackalling it might have been different,” he said.
“I did it in a tackle and because at the time I was battling, the left ankle was really painful and what happened was I was putting more weight on my right leg. It suddenly got caught in a tackle.
Lee Blackett has delivered a medical bulletin following the extraordinary Bank Holiday game https://t.co/oxlQMhj7iQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 2, 2020
“I put that in the forefront of my mind, that without the ankle the knee wouldn’t have happened. Whether it is true or not it’s nice to have that in my head. For me, I wouldn’t be able to stick myself in those positions, stick my head in there if I was thinking about it too much.
“As soon as you’re in the game it’s instinct and trying to get your head in there. I do a lot of mobility work to try and help me out when getting caught in uncomfortable positions. I have got a bit of a get-out with extra hip mobility etc. Yeah, I try not to keep it at the forefront of my mind going into games.”
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The rejuvenation of Willis is one of the main reasons why Wasps have enjoyed a playoff-chasing resurgence under new boss Lee Blackett, manoeuvring the young back row into the debate as to who should make the England squad for the resumption of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations and the one-off Eight Nations tournament set to be played before the year is over.
“When I had those injuries in 2018 it was a bit of a rollercoaster, getting named in the squad and a few weeks later injuring my ankle and my knee and then, all in all, spent not far off 18 months out and three operations later got back playing.
“It was tough, really tough, and the group I had around me, family, friends, got me through it. I’ve always had a passion and a drive and a desire to play for England one day. Sort of came pretty close by getting named in the squad and it wasn’t my time unfortunately with having the injury.
“I don’t think I’d change anything really. It gave me a really nice perspective of the game and life in rugby that you can’t get yourself too caught up in it all the time because you end up burning yourself out. So now I have definitely got a fresh perspective of it.
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“I’m very grateful for every minute I get to spend on the pitch and yeah, look, it’s still a massive aim of mine, a dream since I was a young lad to try and put an England shirt on at some point but it’s never going to come if I’m not playing well for Wasps. That is my main focus.”
"They are telling me you’re a confident hooker. If you’re not confident I’ll order uncontested scrums… make a decision"https://t.co/uKnV7dD6mu
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 1, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Good decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
3 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
5 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
29 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
5 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
5 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
3 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
3 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
9 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
5 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
29 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
9 Go to commentsWowee!
9 Go to commentsEvery team that has played a game in Africa this Champions Cup season is already out of the competition - including the SA teams. Could be a concidence.
30 Go to commentsthat should offer some experiences for Jordie.
9 Go to commentsJust remember: He is not a winger. Took Ian Foster 2 years to figure that out.
9 Go to commentsExcellent article, Nick. We (your RP colleague Brett McKay and my 8/9 Combo cohost), are going to have LSL on our podcast later this month. He has shown consistent excellence as a leader and lock. I’ll chat with you offline about a line of questioning if you have time. H
29 Go to commentsSo no Irish fan or journalist suggested JGP was as good as DuPont. Then even the guy who supposedly did is from Wales and said JGP would be the best around if it was t for DuPont. Right, so what is this story about again
19 Go to commentsGreat news for the URC. Leinster will always attract top talent. Another huge name added to their stable
9 Go to comments