Tom joins his brother in signing long-term deal
TOM Willis has joined brother Jack in signing long-term contracts at Wasps.
The younger of the Willis siblings has committed to the club on the same day as fellow England under20s player Gaby Oghre.
“Tom is a really good prospect and we’re delighted he has signed a new deal,” said Wasps head of recruitment and academy Kevin Harman.
“His selection in the under-20s shows England think a lot of him too, and if he continues to work hard at his game he has a very bright future.
A former England under-18 captain, Tom has captained Wasps in both the Anglo-Welsh Cup and A League and also made his Aviva Premiership debut in October, when he appeared from the bench to join older brother Jack in the back row against Saracens.
Jack extended his contract in mid-February.
Hooker Oghre, who signed from Bath ahead of the current season, has featured in England under-20s Six Nations games against Italy, Wales and Scotland and has three Wasps appearances under his belt in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
“He has a great attitude, and we believe he has a lot of the right attributes to go on and be a firstteam player,” said Harman.
“Everyone who has dealt with Gaby since he arrived last summer has found him superb to work with.
“He has a really positive manner, which along with his approach to playing hooker offers a real point of difference.
“Anyone who has seen Gaby in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and A League will have noticed his tremendous skill-set.
“He is part of a strong pool of hookers, including Tommy Taylor, Tom Cruse, Ashley Johnson and TJ Harris, and he will doubtless continue to develop by working alongside them.”
The front row pair of David Langley and George Thornton have been awarded new academy contracts by Wasps this week. A WIN against London Irish was expected on Sunday, as was a bonus point, which Wasps fell just short of achieving.
However, looking at the squad that was picked and mindful of London Irish’s recent form, this was always going to be tough.
Irish played very well. When they went down to 14 men I thought, “here we go”, but no, they dug in and only conceded seven points in that period.
At the start of the season, Wasps couldn’t play poorly and win, but at the weekend they did which is a sign of a good team even with the absences.
Absences that I thought were strange were those of James Haskell and Elliot Daly. Both now into double figures for weeks without a game, I thought one, if not both, would have been released back to Wasps.
Players need game time. No matter how fit you are, nothing prepares you for playing rugby that first time after a break, especially at international level.
Just look at Haskell’s last return from injury: he ran head first into a hip and was out for another few weeks. That was just a timing issue but will he be as sharp without games? Especially in an area England struggled against Scotland.
Nothing should be taken away from Brendan Macken and Jimmy Gopperth but our centres looked like very similar players on Sunday. Solid, but no X-factor.
Since Kyle Eastmond’s return from injury he has lit up the centre in games I have watched. Yes, he made a mistake in the Quins game, but once fit, I would expect him to slot right back in at 12.
That brings me to an interesting question: if all players were available what would be Wasps’ starting team if the Aviva Premiership final was this weekend?
My thoughts are that Tom Cruse has been outstanding and is in the running for player of the season. He gets the nod at hooker over Tommy Taylor and Ashley Johnson.
Jack Willis is a future England 6, but I would still start Guy Thompson at this stage, then have Willis coming off the bench. Eastmond and Daly give us everything you want out of a centre partnership, with Jimmy coming off the bench to see the game out and the back three have been the stand-outs in their positions for Wasps this year.