Jack Willis produced an emotionally inspired performance against Italy on Sunday to help England secure their first Six Nations win over the year.
He scored the match’s opening try and made a whopping 20 tackles in his 53-minute shift as the Azzurri were dispatched 31-14 at Twickenham.
Two years ago
It was almost two years ago, to the day, when the 26-year-old suffered a sickening knee injury in the 2021 Six Nations fixture against Italy. He fell victim to the ‘crocodile roll’, which sidelined him for a year.
This year threw up its own challenges when his club Wasps entered administration, leaving him with no choice but to find another team.
Fortunately for Willis, Toulouse were eager to bring him on board, with the flanker taking his family across The Channel to take up a contract at the Top 14 side.
“I was thinking before the game about two years ago,” Willis said.
“It was pretty much two years to this week that I did my knee here against Italy, so it was a little bit emotional leading up to the game.
“It was a long old time ago. I thought about how grateful I am to put the shirt on again and be out here after everything that happened with Wasps as well.
“It was devastating what happened at Wasps. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that. That will be a scar I hold forever.
“But you’ve got to focus week to week because if you try and think about the bigger picture, it gets you down a little bit. I’m very lucky to be at a great club that are looking after me in Toulouse.
“I just feel incredibly lucky to be part of this group, and hopefully, I’ll get another shot in the next few weeks.”
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Try scoring return
Willis was notably fired up after dotting down for the try, and he explained that his emotions took over in the moment. Although he didn’t do much to finish the score, he was still proud of it.
“Emotion took over a little bit after the try. There was a lot of emotion I feel to play in an England shirt, and I looked up and saw the crowd,” he said.
“To be honest, there wasn’t not much work left for me to do; the big boys got me 90 per cent of the way there! I was proud to touch down and look up to see that crowd; that was pretty special.”
Willis now returns to France and could be in action against Toulon on Saturday evening, with the Six Nations on a break.
Next up for England is a trip to Cardiff, where they will face off against last-placed Wales on February 25.