Jack Willis has revealed that he had overcome his doubts about his place in England’s starting line-up against the Barbarians. Now he is hoping to play a part in England’s upcoming tour to Australia.
In February 2021, Willis suffered a severe knee injury during England’s Six Nations match against Italy. He was then forced to spend a year on the sidelines.
For the first time since that game against Italy, Willis could play for England at the same venue, which was the home of the Barbarians. The Wasps flanker admitted that he had initially struggled with his mental state after coming off the bench. However, after the initial shock, he started thinking about the scenario that would unfold next.
After two years of hard work and a lot of low points, Willis said that he was finally able to put his hand up for England. The 25-year-old stated that he was motivated by the desire to play for his country again. He said that it made him feel like he was getting better each day and pushed him to his limit.
“I feel like I’ve been on a long road now over the last couple of years. There have definitely been some low points, but I’ve had that burning desire to put that England shirt on again. It makes me feel like I’m getting better each day and it’s pushing me to my max. It’s something I’ve dreamt of since being a little lad,” said Willis.
Willis is optimistic despite being defeated
The warm-up game for England’s upcoming Australia tour ended humiliatingly as the team was beaten by the 14-man-studded Barbarians. It was a poor performance by the side, as preparations for the time are still going on.
Despite the defeat, the flanker Willis was still optimistic about the team’s performance, as it highlighted some areas that the side needed to improve to be successful on tour.
“We weren’t good enough at the breakdown. The breakdown has got to improve. If we want to play the way we want to in attack, we’ve got to be more clinical around that. Whoever is selected for Australia needs to put their best foot forward to replicate what happened in 2016 (when England took the series 3-0),” Willis said of the 52-21 defeat.
Following the successful conclusion of the season, Matias Moroni, one of the key players in the Leicester Tigers’ title-winning team, has decided to join Newcastle.
Moroni, an Argentina international, revealed that he wanted to stay with the Tigers but had no choice but to leave the club due to the changes that Steve Borthwick had brought into the team. He said he was grateful to the people of Leicester and would take good memories from his time with the team.
“I am thankful to everyone at Tigers and will take only good memories from my time there,” Moroni said. “Although I wanted to stay, I have to leave. It came as a bit of a shock but it was out of my hands.”
