ALL CISTERNS GO FOR KING JACK
Willis trained as a plumber but England call is in pipeline
JACK WILLIS is back on the road to the England back row after a U-bend in the road had Wasps’ turnover king thinking of plumbing as an alternative.
Willis, 23, was picked for England’s tour to South Africa in 2018 but missed out on a Test debut after being injured in the Premiership semi-final.
He spent a total of 18 months out of rugby with knee and ankle damage during which time, with the fragility of a rugby career suddenly brought into focus, he retrained as a plumber.
“It probably hit home when I did have the injury that rugby isn’t going to last forever and to have something outside is crucial so my brother [and teammate] Tom and I took on the evening plumbing course with Warwickshire College Group,” said Willis.
“It was a great thing to do and for me it was nice to have that other focus.
“I fitted a kitchen tap for my parents last week. Not sure if they’ll be calling me back – it hasn’t leaked yet so fingers crossed. It took a me a good few hours to work out if I was doing it all right. Hopefully they’re happy with it.”
Running hot again with playoff chasing Wasps, Willis is on target to break the Premiership’s turnover record of 37. He leads the field this season on 33 with six regular season games left.
The twist to the way the breakdown is being refereed since the restart, which is intended to serve quicker ball but also a cleaner shot at pilfering possession, plays right into his hands.
Wasps head coach Lee Blackett said: “It’s only going to help him but he was getting turnovers before that.
“He is really aggressive in his mindset, breakdown wise he is proving himself to be one of the best in the Premiership in and around that, if not the best. And I think he’ll keep getting better and better.”
Willis is also Wasps’ leading tryscorer this season with 10 in all competitions.
“If you added all my tries up it probably combines to about 10 metres in total,” said Willis.
England coach Eddie Jones is blessed with back-row options but he has been watching with interest. “If anything comes from England, that would be fantastic,” added Willis. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a young lad, something I came close to in 2018. But the here and now and what’s going on at Wasps is the focus for me.” ❑JAPAN are set to withdraw from the Eight Nations tournament planned to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the autumn internationals. The Brave Blossoms, who have not played a Test since the World Cup, have been hit by domestic Covid restrictions and do not think they would be able to prepare properly according to reports in Japan. It means the Six Nations countries will need to find a replacement to join Fiji in November’s two-group competition. Georgia are the favourites to step in.