The Breakdown | Willis brothers prove that resilience is key in harsh world of rugby union
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Having bounced back from injury and Wasps’ collapse, Jack and Tom join a long list of the sport’s great battlers. Sometimes people forget the most priceless quality in a rugby player. It can also be easily overlooked, particularly on sunny days in benign conditions when tries flow like warm honey. Even away from home in deepest midwinter, with sub-zero temperatures freezing your snot, it is only fully visible to those aware of just how deep certain individuals have already had to dig to be there.
![[Robert Kitson]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/10/09/Robert-Kitson,-L.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
So yes, size clearly matters to some extent. Vision, too, in a game that grows ever quicker. Athleticism, power and pace, obviously. Tactical nous, regardless of position. Above all else, though, is something that goes beyond mere routine commitment. Call it resilience, character, stubbornness, competitiveness or virtual insanity, it is particularly evident in adversity. Some people have it by the bucket-load, others less so.
![[Jack Willis (left) is impressing for Toulouse and England]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9498b2279d9e632654b6916e32158f2b0f00dab5/0_43_2478_1486/master/2478.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
It is often the reason why certain players are more revered by their teammates and coaches than by the wider public. They don’t just talk a good game, they consistently go out and deliver, regardless of the obstacles. Eddie Jones, for one, specifically used to favour players who regained their feet fastest and instantly rejoined the defensive line. Everyone will get knocked down at some point in life; not everyone can bounce straight back up again.
We are not talking here, to be clear, about foolishly playing on when badly injured or dazed, once the default behaviour of supposedly macho warriors. It is more about saluting the type of player who endures morale-sapping injuries, desperate career disappointment or off-field anguish and re-emerges the stronger for it. There continue to be some deeply impressive case studies, none of whom would be where they are now without serious inner steel.
