JACK THE LAD HE IS BUZZING
Wasp Willis makes Test case
JACK WILLIS served notice that he is ready for another England shot by powering Wasps into the Premiership’s top four.
A club in crisis only four matches ago maintained their 100 per cent record since Lee Blackett took charge with an emphatic win at Northampton.
And one of the starring lights in front of watching England boss Eddie Jones was flanker Willis.
Jones has long been a fan of the 23-year-old he picked to tour South Africa two summers ago.
However, a major knee injury a week later put the Reading-born youngster out for a year and allowed Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Lewis Ludlam to race ahead in the pecking order.
At Franklin’s Gardens yesterday Willis stated his case for a recall, making a game-high 11 tackles, contributing a fistful of turnovers and scoring the second of four
Wasps tries – his ninth of the season.
He still did not get the man-ofthe-match award but Thomas Young, who did, wasted no time showering praise on his back-row pal. “Jack has got everything,” said the Welshman.
“He has played well all season, he has been one of our standout players and, hopefully, he gets the credit he deserves and gets in that England team soon enough.” Young got no argument from watching former Red Rose star Austin Healey, who was hugely impressed by the 6ft 3in forward.
Healey said: “Jack’s quick, he’s got unbelievable desire and for a guy that’s quite tall he gets particularly low and has the attributes England and Wasps should really thrive on.”
Wasps certainly did here, racking up their fourth straight league win since Blackett replaced Dai Young as head coach in February with them languishing in 10th place in the Premiership.
“Selection is Eddie’s decision,” said Blackett. “England’s back row is as strong as it’s ever been in terms of strength in depth.
“The young guys are all around the same age and are really
coming through. But Jack will be there or thereabouts, he can’t not be.
“If he keeps working hard and playing well I’m pretty sure he’ll get a call-up.
“Thomas Young got the TV man of the match but any of our back three could have got it. They were really good in and around the breakdown.”
Northampton are way off the form with which they started the season but even that did not prepare boss Chris Boyd for this. The first of Josh Bassett’s two tries came off a Wasps ‘signature’ firstphase move which Saints had meticulously prepared for yet still could not deal with.
“We must have practised defending that exact play 100 times,” sighed Boyd. “We were sloppy with our execution.”
To add to his frustration Wasps played a quarter of the game with only 14 men after Malakai Fekitoa and Lima Sopoaga were sin-binned either side of half-time. Third-quarter tries from Alex Mitchell and Dave Ribbans briefly pulled Saints back to within a score, but Wasps’ defence responded with yet another turnover for Bassett to put the result to bed.
NORTHAMPTON – Tries: Mitchell, Ribbans. Con: Biggar. Pens: Biggar (3).
WASPS – Tries: Bassett (2), Willis, Harris. Cons: Gopperth (3), Sopoaga. Pens: Sopoaga (2).