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The ridiculous Jack Willis turnover rate stat

By Josh Raisey
Jack Willis

Prior to their Challenge Cup contest with Agen at the Ricoh Arena over the weekend, Wasps shared an impressive stat about flanker Jack Willis.

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The 22-year-old has long been tipped as Wasps’ star for the future, and his haul of 13 turnovers in his last 175 minutes for the club shows that.

That equates to a remarkable one turnover every 13 minutes and 27 seconds of rugby played.

Willis’ area of expertise has always been the breakdown, and stats like this only show how dangerous he is. It also shows that the anterior cruciate ligament rupture he suffered in May 2018 has not stopped him progressing as a player.

The flanker suffered the injury playing for Wasps two seasons ago in the Premiership semi-final against Saracens. He had only just been named in Eddie Jones’ squad to tour South Africa at the end of that season, but he ended up missing the majority of the following 2018/19 season.

Although he returned towards the end of last campaign for Wasps, his season was again cut short with an ankle injury. This season has also been hampered by injury so far, with what Dai Young described as a “freak” training ground knee injury, but Willis is showing the form that many know he is capable of.

The fact that he was called up to the England squad at such a young age shows that Jones is an admirer of his, as he has always been touted to represent England. However, he is part of a remarkable generation of young flankers in England, which includes Tom Curry, 21, Sam Underhill, 23, and Lewis Ludlam, 23, of the players who have represented their country already, and many more across the Premiership.

Willis undoubtedly has the ability to compete with these players for the six and seven shirt for England over the next decade, and will be on Jones’ radar for the upcoming Six Nations. Players with his ability over the ball are a rare commodity and are in great demand in Test rugby.

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Bull Shark 2 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.

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