Willis reiterates Test ambitions after retaining Top 14 player award
Jack Willis, who lifted the French title in June after Toulouse beat Montpellier in the Top 14 final at the Stade de France, has reiterated his desire to play Test rugby after retaining the Top 14's best player award. He last played for England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Willis moved to Toulouse in November 2022 after Wasps went out of business and was initially given dispensation to continue playing for England because of those exceptional circumstances. The back row has won 14 caps, his most recent coming in a pool-stage 71-0 victory over Chile in September 2023, and by choosing to remain in French club rugby he has not been eligible for England selection since. A long-standing policy restricts England selection to domestic-based players; it strengthens Prem clubs' ability to retain top talent, while England also benefit from increased access and control over their players.
At club level Willis was named player of the match in the Top 14 final against Montpellier and added a fourth French title to the Champions Cup crown he lifted in 2024. His performance in France has been central to Toulouse's success this season and was recognised by his peers and organisers in the award voting.
He topped a three-man shortlist for the Top 14's best player for the 2025-26 campaign, finishing ahead of France and Bordeaux-Begles fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and Clermont-Auvergne's All Black Harry Plummer. Willis becomes only the second player after France captain Antoine Dupont to retain the accolade.
After collecting the award he jokingly challenged reporters to find him a way back into Test rugby. "You know what you sacrifice," Willis said of his Test career. "It's something I still want to do, but rules are rules."
Three years have passed since he last appeared for England and, under World Rugby's 'birthright' rule, he could now represent a country in which he, his parents or his grandparents were born; Willis' grandfather was born in Belfast. Ireland's strong preference for home-based players has been relaxed on rare occasions with Jonny Sexton and Tommy Bowe continuing to play for their country despite moves to Racing 92 and the Ospreys respectively, while Simon Zebo has found himself excluded after heading overseas. "I'm a quarter Irish, but they have the same rules as England," said Willis. "You need to do some digging, that's your job, you find the way [around the rules]!"
It is highly unlikely any compromise would be found that allows Willis to play for Ireland while remaining with Toulouse. In theory he is available for selection by Ireland under the birthright rule.