It is now standing room only on this bandwagon, but it’s time to jump aboard anyway. Tom Willis is the bona fide No 8 blaster who England are crying out for. Steve Borthwick must pick him for the Six Nations.
Ignoring one exiled brother is bad enough, but there is no need to overlook the other too. Jack Willis keeps playing the house down for mighty Toulouse but, due to the RFU’s policy against the selection of players based abroad, for national service, he remains off-limits. Tom is in the country and tearing up trees for Saracens. He can give England the carrying clout and raw edge that has been sorely missing.
His performance against Bristol at StoneX Stadium on Saturday night was breathtaking to behold. It was a man at the peak of his powers, showcasing a remarkable repertoire. For those who missed the masterclass, here are the primary highlights.
The first of Willis’ two tries, early in the first half, was all about power and persistence, as he seized the ball, hurdled a ruck and surged through three defenders to touch down from close range.
Just before half-time, he scored his second and it was world-class. Saracens should frame images of the whole coast-coast sequence and hang them in a museum.
Maro Itoje claimed an interception, stormed out of his 22 and made further ground on the left after delivering a sumptuous dummy. Slick handling allowed the home side to switch the attack towards the other flank and Willis did the rest.
Tom Willis is the bona fide No 8 blaster who Steve Borthwick’s England are crying out for
The Saracens star’s performance against Bristol at StoneX Stadium was breathtaking to behold
England boss Borthwick must pick him for the Six Nations as he will give his side carrying clout
He swerved around Noah Heward and the wing couldn’t lay a hand on him, then accelerated away from the flailing Bill Mata and bore down on Rich Lane. The full-back didn’t look too keen on the task and few would blame him, as Willis exploded through his attempted tackle to score. It was utterly ridiculous; an off-the-chart, classic strike.
After half-time, Willis kept up the momentum – breaking from a ruck, dominating another collision and deftly off-loading, to set the wheels in motion for Saracens’ bonus-point try. It was yet another demonstration of the carrying force which meant that after nine Premiership rounds, he had beaten 50 defenders and the next best in the league had beaten 37. Later, he drove Lane back 20 metres in a tackle and, on commentary, David Flatman joked: ‘It’s just like he is putting the bins out.’
How much more proof does Borthwick need, that this is the country’s leading No 8? He gave him a Test debut off the bench in a World Cup warm-up against Wales in the summer of 2023, but has not selected him since. It is time for a re-think.
Ben Earl was outstanding at the 2023 World Cup, having been deployed at the base of the scrum. His pace and all-round dynamism have been a major asset to England in the last 18 months, but the national team’s stuttering autumn campaign exposed the need for a proper, orthodox No 8 who is capable of making dents in the areas of heaviest defensive traffic.
Willis could be for England what Gregory Alldritt has long been for France, in that he is not a monstrous figure – he’s no giant in the Billy Vunipola mould – but a hard-driving weapon. He is also a tough, aggressive, abrasive character with the hint of a nasty streak and Borthwick’s pack could use some of that. If they are not assertive and confrontational in Dublin on February 1, they could suffer a grim start to their Six Nations campaign.
On January 18, Willis turns 26, just as England’s players will be preparing to go into camp ahead of the annual championship. By then, he should have earned the birthday present he really craves, with inclusion in the squad.
But Borthwick could go further. Start him. Let Earl compete with Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Sam Underhill for the openside berth, if the head coach is committed to having a tall, lineout-jumping blindside. Or have two of those four on the flanks, either side of Willis.
A daunting assignment against the Six Nations title-holders, away from home, is not the ideal time to give a Test novice his first start. Conversely, England need to unleash as many form players as possible, in their preferred positions.
Willis is a tough, aggressive, abrasive character with the hint of a nasty streak in him
Ben Earl was outstanding at the 2023 World Cup and has been a major asset for the side
The awkward context is that Borthwick has dished out 17 central (enhanced EPS) contracts and that is bound to put a certain onus on using as many of those leading lights as possible.
But Alex Mitchell was out injured for months, Ollie Chessum has been sidelined too and George Furbank is recovering from a broken arm. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Ford are other recent casualties. In addition, Quins pair Chandler Cunningham-South and Fin Baxter – not in the 17 – have been struggling of late.
Borthwick has previously set great store by club form and, putting aside the enhanced EPS factor, he must do so again. Willis is red-hot right now and deserves to be let loose in Dublin.
Rugby deserves supreme punditry
Last Friday night’s Premiership encounter between Newcastle and Harlequins at Kingston Park was another occasion which illustrated the importance of supreme punditry.
The familiar double-act of Ben Kay and Austin Healey once again provided TNT Sports viewers with rapid and educational detail to go with the footage, along with a healthy dose of humour and on-mic banter.
Rugby really needs the sort of insight that these former Tigers and England players provide. It is a sport full of nuances and shades of grey, but they offer rapid-fire clarity.
Healey is often cast as a pantomime villain for his forthright opinions, but they also enhance the coverage. Flatman is another superb pundit, as are the likes of Sam Warburton and John Barclay.
Rugby is more watchable and accessible when these ex-pros cut through the technical and legal morass to explain the micro elements of the action.
Spectators in all stadiums, at club and international level, would benefit from being able to listen to their views on ref link-type earpieces, while matches are in progress.
TNT Sports provided viewers with supreme punditry during Newcastle’s loss to Harlequins
Sale’s behind closed doors glimpse
They may have come unstuck at Kingsholm on Saturday, but Sale took a significant, positive step for the sport last week.
Excuse what may come across as an in-house matter, but letting Mail Sport in to observe a squad meeting was a momentous contribution to rugby’s laboured, belated quest to be more open and inviting.
Being allowed to watch coaches going about the task of motivating their squad was a first for this correspondent – in more than 20 years of covering the game – and it was fascinating.
Rugby’s psychological and emotional dimensions are just as important as ever, in this era of wall-to-wall data and science, in what amounts to a quest to manage and manipulate human nature.
There is an endless, widespread curiosity about how players are fired up behind the scenes to withstand and inflict exhaustion and pain in a common cause – and how to repeat that tricky feat on a weekly basis.
Hopefully, other clubs and unions will recognise, as Sale have done, that giving a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors will help a wider audience grow to appreciate rugby’s passionate, selflessly heroic nature.
Sale provided Mail Sport with a glimpse into a squad meeting, a significant and positive step
Maher unable to turn tide in big arrival
Sadly, the grand arrival was an anti-climax.
American social media sensation and Olympic Sevens bronze medallist, Ilona Maher, made her debut for Bristol in the women’s Premiership yesterday, but her first impact was very much off the field rather than on it.
Hype around her recruitment had sparked a ticket sales rush which meant the Bears moved the game against Gloucester-Hartpury to Ashton Gate and welcomed a league record crowd of more than 9,000.
Maher was named on the bench just days after returning from the States, but by the time she was introduced with an hour gone, the visitors were out of sight; leading 28-10.
In her last-quarter cameo, the star signing with nearly five million Instagram followers didn’t appear to touch the ball. Her main involvement, after a tackle from a re-start seconds after coming on, was to hit rucks and act as a decoy runner.
Bristol went on to lose 40-17 as the import could do nothing to turn the tide.
Those who waited for a post-match selfie will have savoured the close-up view of a player who has become a marquee rugby brand in her own right, but Maher and her new club will wish for better days to come, during her three-month stint in the West Country.
American social-media sensation Ilona Maher made her debut for Bristol on Sunday
But despite the hype around her recruitment, her grand arrival became an anti-climax
Last Word
There was surprising news from Down Under over the weekend. It seems that Melbourne is set to miss out on hosting fixtures during the 2027 World Cup.
Reports claim that the Victoria state government withdrew their bid to stage the final and a raft of other matches in protest at Rugby Australia’s decision to cut the Rebels franchise. What a costly mess.
The Accor Stadium in Sydney is destined to host the final, both semis and the so-called ‘bronze final’ (the unwanted third-place play-off, which merely exists to increase revenue).
Yet, its capacity is 82,000, whereas the iconic MCG holds 100,000.
Furthermore, Melbourne’s giant sporting cathedral is on the edge of the city centre, making it easily accessible for visiting fans.
In contrast, the Sydney stadium – which keeps changing its name and hosted the Olympics and 2003 World Cup Final in a previous guise – is several miles west of the harbourside city. Journeys there and back can be difficult.
As this time of financial hardship in the sport, it seems crazy to sign off a plan which could cost an estimated £20million in lost income, due to avoidable attendance limitations.
Sydney is undoubtedly the spiritual home of rugby in Australia, while Melbourne and Victoria is obsessive AFL (Aussies Rules Football) territory, but this is a global event so such local matters should not be the decisive factor.
Here’s hoping that common sense prevails and the MCG can still host games after all.
