Tom Willis can become England's answer to world class Gregory Alldritt

Former captain Nick Easter believes Tom Willis can become England’s answer to French star Gregory Alldritt if the Saracens forward is allowed to hold on to the problem No.8 jersey for the rest of the Six Nations campaign.

Willis made a significant impact in his first start in the role in the dramatic 26-25 win over France, delivering an impressive 16 tackles to top the charts while beating five defenders with the kind of ball-carrying that has made Alldritt a focal point for the French pack.

Now, Easter is urging Steve Borthwick, the head coach, to allow Willis to bed into the role and deliver the kind of performances that have made Alldritt a fixture for France, by imposing his physical style of rugby on Scotland in the Calcutta Cup clash at the Allianz Stadium.

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Off the North West of Scotland on the Isle of Lewis, you will find one of the UK’s most remote rugby teams: Stornoway RFC.
They show true dedication and passion for the game, overcoming unique challenges to compete.

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Off the North West of Scotland on the Isle of Lewis, you will find one of the UK’s most remote rugby teams: Stornoway RFC.
They show true dedication and passion for the game, overcoming unique challenges to compete.

Borthwick has constantly mixed and matched his back-row options, using Alex Dombrandt (of Harlequins) and Saracens’ Ben Earl in the No. 8 role as he searches for a combination that best suits his game plan. Easter, who captained England during his 54-cap Test career, wants Willis to be handed the No. 8 jersey for the rest of the year to allow the 26-year-old to prove he can be a rallying point for the pack.

With Scotland carrying two intensely physical threats in their back row in Jack Dempsey and Matt Fagerson, England will need another rumbustious performance from Willis. Easter, who combines the roles of Chinnor director of rugby and the USA’s defence coach, told RugbyPass: “I think that Willis should be given a run at No8 throughout the Six Nations and beyond. We have struggled and haven’t produced No.8’s to do a No.8 job. He is a lot like Gregory Alldritt, although not in the same class yet, and can stay on his feet, make the hard yards until the support arrives and I was thrilled with the selection of Willis against France and it worked out.

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“I like my guys in the No.8 role to be like Alldritt and Duane Vermeulen, nuts and bolts guys who do the fundamentals on the back of the scrum with the ability to get everything moving forward. They are the guys who give the rest of the pack a target and we have missed that when flirting with Dombrandt, who is more of your wide channel guy than close quarters. Ben Earl is a brilliant player but I think he is better suited to the flank with the occasional move to the No.8 role in a game for an attacking option off the scrum which they do at Saracens.

“Finally, we have Willis at No.8 and he is the guy who looks for those opportunities close to the ruck which a lot of teams don’t target because they get obsessed about running their shapes off 9 and 10.

“This could be part of England’s attack now as they try to stay ahead of the curve and Willis is the guy for that role. The No8, scrum half and outside half have a huge influence on the game and to have that physicality and ball playing at No8 is crucial. The Scotland back row like the physical side of the game and we have a terrible record against the Scots in recent years and this is a chance to turn it around.”

Scotland’s record of four successive wins over England will give them much-needed confidence after the desperately disappointing 32-18 loss to Ireland at Murrayfield which saw Finn Russell and Darcy Graham forced off with head injuries.

Easter added: “Scotland have a real mental block against the Irish and didn’t perform. The Scottish forwards were taken to the cleaners and it was a bit like going back to yesteryear. In my day you always knew you could take the Scots on up front because they didn’t have the strength in depth but that is not the case now and they have done really well in the last five years. They have a nuggety, pretty attritional forward pack and I expect to see a response after their defeat to Ireland.

“The review of that performance would have been pretty harsh and, to be honest, in those recent Calcutta Cup games the Scottish forwards have outplayed the English pack. However, given the quality in the England squad they will back themselves to build on the win over France and I still think the Scots have got weaknesses at scrum time. We haven’t got a long list of world-class props but our scrum has seen an improvement and that is an area where England can get after them.”

Easter’s defence coach role with the USA means he has the chance to be at the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027 if the Eagles can defeat Canada in August. He said: “The MLR has started and we have a match against Canada in Toronto and if we can win that game then we should qualify for the 2027 tournament. Our sights are set on peaking for that game but it will be a tough one.”