The No 8’s form for Saracens demanded Six Nations selection and he is determined to prove his worth. There have been times over the past 18 months when you would have forgiven Tom Willis for wondering just why he swapped Bordeaux for Barnet. Les Girondins lead the Top 14 in France, have swept all before them in the Champions Cup and play with a swagger that only Toulouse can rival. Saracens, meanwhile, offered Willis a route towards international recognition but until this month he has found himself on the outside looking in.
![[Gerard Meagher]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/11/07/Gerard_Meagher_Next_Gen.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Moreover, there is not much precedent for English exiles across the Channel returning to make a successful crack at the international stage. Willis had only to look at his fellow No 8 Zach Mercer, who helped Montpellier secure a Top 14 title and won a player of the year award in his two seasons only to return to England and find himself cut from the 2023 World Cup. He has not been seen in Steve Borthwick’s squad again.
Truth be told, most don’t even try. Some, such as Courtney Lawes, are in the twilight of their careers while others, such as Tom’s brother Jack, are revelling in French rugby, improving as players, and seeing the absence of international recognition as a small price to pay. Willis, however, always had an itch to scratch. At the end of his Bordeaux stint and before joining Saracens, he won his only cap to date off the bench in the 2023 World Cup warm-up defeat by Wales in Cardiff that was memorable only because Borthwick finalised his squad the following day, and you suspect a few of his charges played themselves out of it.
