About 640 miles separate Bordeaux from North London, but by August this year the distance between the two will have closed significantly, at least in rugby terms. Two of the forward stars of the Anglo-French encounters in round three of the Champions Cup, Tom Willis and Cameron Woki, will join forces for the same club in France, European champions Union Bordeaux-Bègles.
When the pair meet up at pre-season training later this summer, they will compare career notes and very probably, they will find much in common. Both are currently on the outer for England and France respectively, and both will be returning to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine for a second professional stint.
The circumstances have been traumatic and both players are in the midst of a career rebuild. With Steve Borthwick’s England, Willis was a fish out of water, a traditionally hard-nosed ball-carrying number eight forward cast adrift in a sea of super number sevens. If he had a role in the national side, it was probably to back up Ben Earl in the late-game, coming off a 6/2 bench split.
Willis first emergency-landed on the banks of the Garonne after Wasps entered administration in October 2022, and he will now return to France having made the biggest decision of his rugby life: picking club over country, and prioritising the long-term financial security of his family over national honours.
Cameron Woki reportedly took a 50% drop in salary to return to the club at which he cut his professional teeth and where he won his first cap for Les Bleus. At Racing 92, he had been shunted between the deuxième and troisième ligne having won the vast majority of his national caps in the second row, but in Bordeaux he was offered a new clarity by head coach Yannick Bru.
“As far as I’m concerned, I think he’s a flanker,” Bru said. “He’s an edge attacker who needs to express his speed and quality in one-on-ones, and I think all of that is better expressed when he plays flanker, or number eight.”
In commentary for Premier Sports, ex-England skipper Lawrence Dallaglio could scarcely hide his admiration for a fellow Wasp and a ball-carrier in whom he saw so many similarities to himself. After Willis announced his decision to leave England, the World Cup-winner-turned-pundit made no secret of it.
“He’s tearing it up in the Prem, his [stats] are so far ahead [of everyone else]. I think he was really settling into that international jersey. I think he would have been a mainstay in that England team, not just as a player, but I think, as a future England captain.”
For Woki, the return to UBB has all the freshness and familiarity of a homecoming.
“I always knew my story with Bordeaux-Bègles wasn’t finished. There I experienced it all, my first minutes as a professional, my first France cap. UBB gave me everything, I have to give them the same thing back.”
When his old-new teammates won the Champions Cup by edging Northampton Saints back in May, his first thought was to call them, and congratulate his long-time friend Matthieu Jalibert: “My heart belongs in Bordeaux-Bègles. I called Matthieu, all the guys were there in the changing room celebrating.”
Woki’s own situation represents an important litmus test for France at national level. UBB proved once again in their 50-24 demolition of the Prem-topping Northampton at the Stade Chaban Delmas they are comfortably the best club side in Europe, while the traditional mainspring of national selection, Stade Toulousain, toiled in the tsunami of wind and rain at the StoneX in North London, losing 20-14.
Woki and hooker Maxime Lamothe will find the pathway to national colours blocked by the Toulousain wise-guys: Peato Mauvaka, Julien Marchand, Francois Cros, Anthony Jelonch and Alexandre Roumat. The return from injury of Antoine Dupont could block the selection of the outstanding 10 in the Top 14, Woki’s mate Jalibert. If Jalibert does not start, there could be a knock-on effect in selection on the UBB three-quarter line outside him. All of Yoram Moefana, Nicolas Depoortere, Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey deserves to be picked en bloc for the first round of the Six Nations against Ireland, but the rouge et noir spell may not yet be broken.
Restored to his natural position alongside Temo Matiu and Jean-Luc du Preez on Saturday afternoon, Woki gave ample evidence of the quality he could bring to the national team playing the ‘fast’ hybrid role in a big back-row. Despite his towering stature, Woki was entrusted with the job of manning the wide 15-5m channels and mixing with the backs on both sides of the ball.
The big man with the Maro Itoje-like wingspan is spotted in between 13 Depoortère and 14 Penaud out to the right and he scored two tries out of defence in the wide channels; one after a kick-chase, the other breaking up a Saints’ passing play in their own half.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 12, 2026
One of those big, cat-like paws bats the ball backwards as the Northampton attack works its way out to the left, and Woki is able to regather the ball and score under the posts at a canter.
UBB were equally comfortable dropping the back-rower on to a sideline to combine his skills with their electric back three on attack.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 12, 2026
Woki topped the metres gained by any forward on either side, with all six of his carries turning into either a clean break or tackle bust, he ran the UBB lineout and even added a pilfer at the defensive breakdown for good measure. With everyone fit and firing, there will be questions to ask if France cannot find a spot for him in the run-on XV alongside Gregory Alldritt and either Toulousain Cros or La Rochelle’s Paul Boudehent.
The best performance by any English back-rower in the third round of the Champions Cup belonged to a man who will soon no longer be eligible for his country. It could not have arrived in less propitious conditions – on a black Sunday evening in the driving wind and rain. That suited Willis’ earthy, get-down-to-brass-tacks, tackle-busting style down to the ground. The big bopper ran 17 times for 98 metres with eight tackle busts and added two pilfers at the breakdown, and the sobs of nostalgia from Dallaglio were plainly audible in the telly commentary. The following run was typical.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 12, 2026
Willis receives the ball deep in his own end with a Toulousain reception committee primed and ready on defence, but the combination of feet, fend and power enables him to break free of the shackles on three occasions and set up a positive exit scenario for Saracens. It is the very antithesis of Cameron Woki’s back-row role with UBB.
Would there be a place for Willis in a 23-man squad for England next month? Possibly, but no guarantee. The five sevens theory – with three natural number sevens starting and another pair finishing – was a primary ingredient in England’s unbeaten November series, and it is hard to see that Willis could do more than infiltrate the bench finishing group.
He would not uproot Ben Earl as the starter because Earl is one of those rare birds who can do the hard yakka in traffic, coupled with a touch of the Wokis in open field. He has been the leading forward ball-carrier at the Six Nations for the past two seasons.
To put those figures in perspective, Earl had 15 more carries for 143m more than any other forward in 2024, and four more carries for 74m more than the next man one year later. That is consistency for you, and it is also why Earl deserved to be part of a Lions Test back-row in Australia in July.
The most interesting tactical aspect of the game at the StoneX was how effectively the home side stymied ‘the best player in the world’, Antoine Dupont in and around the ruck. Dupont only ran four times for a mere 12m total, and he was rendered impotent during a first half when Toulouse had to run directly into the wind and rain.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 12, 2026
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) January 12, 2026
Saracens filled all the inside running lanes, with an extra defender located in the boot directly behind the ruck in addition to the two guards on either side of it, and that stopped the little wizard setting up any attacks on the second or third defender and flushed the play further out. If France opt for a Toulouse-style attack centred around Dupont, with no Jalibert in the final game of the final round in March, it would be no surprise to see England using a similar counter.
Two of the back-row stars of the Champions Cup in round three will find themselves on the same side of the fence later this year. Woki’s stock will probably have risen even further, and he will be joined in Bordeaux by Jack Willis’ younger brother Tom. Both have experienced serious career rebuilds since Woki moved back to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine from Paris, and Willis gave up his England ambitions to return to France.
Woki is one of two main crucibles – the other is Jalibert – in which the recent Toulousain domination of national selection could be melted down. Willis’ absence from the England squad will highlight the pressure on the ‘five sevens’ theory to win a major trophy. England will stick with George Ford at 10, their high-flying wings and a swarm of high-quality number sevens, and they will see if they can ride them all the way to Six Nations glory in the middle of March.
Merci Nick pour cet excellent article documenté et très juste dans son analyse. A envoyer à Mr Galthié !!
Great article. It is quite interesting that Woki looked to be seen as the third choice number 4 in the France squad which was chosen in November, behind Flament and Auradou. It also seemed like he was the third choice number 7 as well. His form has been good and with Cros + Boudehent injured currently, there could definitely be a way back for him into the 23. I think the La Rochelle man is reportedly back playing this weekend so he should be ok to be in the first 42 chosen though.
I just don’t know where he fits in. It looks like he’s competing with both Ollivon and Jegou for spots in the 23. Unless Ollivon plays at 4, it could still be difficult for him to be in the 23. Jegou was excellent against Leinster and his versatility to cover centre could be something which keeps him in the side if Galthie goes to the 7-1 bench which was successful last year.
Based on the last 12 months or so, the starting loose forward trio for the Ireland game will be Jelonch Ollivon Alldritt with Jegou and Boudehent on the bench. Or Boudehent Ollivon Alldritt with Jegou and Jelonch on the bench. Let’s see if his form earns him a way into the team.