Tom Willis to start for Bordeaux at Gloucester in Champions Cup
Tom Willis will start for Bordeaux at Gloucester in the Champions Cup on Friday, a fixture that has sharpened focus on his move to France and its implications for England selection ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The Bordeaux No 8’s return to English soil for the continental competition comes after a high-profile switch from Saracens and has prompted renewed attention on what England will miss without him available on Premiership terms.
Steve Borthwick has been given a free pass to pick one player based outside England, and while the consensus names Jack Willis — Toulouse captain and two‑time Top 14 player of the season — as the obvious choice, many observers argue Borthwick would prefer Tom; the article nevertheless states “For clarity, this is not going to happen.” England’s No 8 depth is described as shallow in the piece, with Willis characterised as the sort of ball‑carrying forward Borthwick valued ahead of the World Cup.
“He’s an incredible competitor,” Bordeaux’s attack coach Noel McNamara says. “You can talk all you want about the technical and tactical but sometimes it’s just about desire. He won an aerial battle a couple weeks ago that I showed to the backs. Tom just wanted that ball, he’s an unbelievable competitor more than anything else. The Top 14 is incredibly competitive, because of relegation, because of the JIFF rule [which limits the number of foreign players]. That adds its own pressure and it’s not for everybody. We knew what we were getting, not just the player, he’s a fantastic human being.”
Willis’s decision to move to Bordeaux followed an enhanced contract offer and was taken despite knowing the selection rules; the article reports he received the enhanced contract worth £150,000 a couple of months before informing Borthwick, and he told Midi Olympique: “I understand both sides, I understand the benefits for the [Prem], and I knew the rules before making my choice. I have no problem with it.” Borthwick opted to leave him out of England plans immediately, a choice made with less than two years to the World Cup.
The piece traces Willis’s club path: after Wasps went bust he joined Bordeaux on a short‑term deal in November 2022 before moving to Saracens the following summer, arriving in France just after Christophe Urios had left, not speaking French and having never lived alone. The article says those circumstances produced personal growth, and that Bordeaux’s standing, financial package and lifestyle — plus the chance to be near his brother Jack — were significant factors in his decision, even though Saracens were desperate to keep him.
On-field progress chronicled in the article includes a knee‑disrupted first season at Saracens, a strong second season and a standout performance against the Bulls in December 2024. Willis earned one cap in a World Cup warm‑up match against Wales, returned initially as a replacement against Ireland, then started in victories over France, Scotland and Italy, but did not establish himself in the British & Irish Lions conversation. During the 2025 tour of Argentina and the USA, with Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Henry Pollock away, the article says Willis excelled against the Pumas and was subsequently given an enhanced deal by Borthwick.
Colleagues and observers described Willis as capable but not ostentatiously self‑confident, with words such as “deep‑thinking” and “diligent” applied to him; the article notes he was seen at Bordeaux’s base finishing a French lesson at 5pm. In his third and final season with Saracens, despite the impending move, he was named Premiership player of the year and is reported to have produced more carries and beaten more defenders than anyone in the league. McNamara cautions against labels: “Jack is perceived as more of a defensive player and Tom as offensive but we can be very reductive,” says McNamara. “Against Clermont recently Tom had four turnovers. He’s a very smart player, he’s got leadership capabilities. He is doing that with his actions and he’s learning the language diligently so he can express himself.”
The article concludes that, despite Willis’s form and character, one of the most talented English players of his generation will not grace the World Cup stage next year; Bordeaux begin their Champions Cup defence at Gloucester on Friday.