Willison ready to put in hard yards for Bath
Jackson Willison is almost apologetic when reminded of one of his impressive statistics. Last season, Bath Rugby’s new centre made nine more offloads than any player in the Premiership with 39. It is testament to his rugby outlook and aims in his first season wearing blue, black and white that he brushes off the skill he showed to unlock defences while playing for Worcester Warriors. “It’s funny,” he said. “One of my mates from New Zealand told me about that. “They weren’t intentional, but obviously a few of them came off. If the opportunity comes up to do that with Bath, then why not? “The coaches have been encouraging. If the pass is on, or the offload is on, then throw it.” But what does he want to achieve at his new club? “I want to play as much as I can and be the ultimate team player,” said the former Junior and Maori All Black. “Someone willing to do the hard work to allow the flashy players to score the tries. I’ll be much happier if we score 20 tries and I only score one.” Willison has looked good in the pre-season wins over Edinburgh and Scarlets. Seemingly arriving as an inside centre, he has been picked as a 13 with the ability to interchange with Jamie Roberts at 12 when required. He aims to build a close relationship with all of the players around him as Bath look to unleash a gameplan tweaked by new attack coach Girvan Dempsey. “I think I’m someone who can support our tens and try to get into that second receiver/playmaker spot,” Willison said. “For me it’s about getting as many touches as I can on the ball. At the moment I’m trying to get those combinations and relationships. “The first thing I noticed is they [Priestland and Burns] were two completely different tens. Along with trying to get all the moves, that’s been the biggest challenge for me. “I’ve played two years in the Premiership so I have a little bit of experience of what to expect and I think I have a lot to offer in the gameplan we want to play.” He has appreciated Dempsey’s emphasis on getting the basics right this summer in a bid to make the backline a more potent attacking force. “He’s probably got his own coaching style, but it’s very similar to what I grew up with in New Zealand,” Willison said. “Girvs likes to focus on the small skillsets. We’re trying to just do the catching, passing and running straight in a world-class way, which will hopefully mean it opens up later in a game to score tries, which obviously we want to do.” And he is delighted to be playing under former All Black Todd Blackadder. Willison added: “It’s no secret we all grew up wanting to play for the All Blacks, so he was a huge public figure.”