by Sometimes people forget the most priceless quality in a rugby player. It can also be easily overlooked, especially on sunny days in benign conditions, when swarms flow like warm honey. Even far from home, in the depths of winter, with snot-freezing sub-zero temperatures, it is only fully visible to those who know how deep some people have already had to dig to get there.
So yes, size clearly matters to some extent. Vision too, in a game that evolves more and more quickly. Athleticism, power and pace, obviously. We are tactical, whatever the position. But above all, it is something that goes beyond just routine engagement. Call it resilience, character, stubbornness, competitiveness or virtual insanity, it is especially evident in adversity. Some people have tons, others less.
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This is often the reason why certain players are more revered by their teammates and coaches than by the general public. They don’t just talk a good game, they consistently go out and deliver, no matter the obstacles. Eddie Jones, for his part, specifically favored players who regained their footing the quickest and instantly joined the defensive line. Everyone will be knocked down at some point in their life; not everyone can bounce back again.
We’re not talking here, to be clear, about continuing to play stupidly when seriously injured or stunned, which was once the default behavior of so-called macho warriors. Rather, it’s about saluting the type of player who endures morale-sapping injuries, desperate career disappointment or off-the-field anguish and emerges stronger for it. There are still some profoundly impressive case studies, none of which would be where they are today without strong inner strengthening.
Take the Willis brothers, Jack and Tom, who now play for Toulouse and Saracens respectively. Not long ago, both siblings were unemployed after Wasps’ abrupt financial collapse. Jack also suffered a horrific knee injury playing for England against Italy in February 2021, but bounced back to become one of the best back-rowers in Europe. Tom had to pack his bags and move briefly to Bordeaux, but is now back in north London and edging ever closer to Six Nations recognition.
It remains to be seen whether the latter will be moved straight to number 8 for England against Ireland next month in Dublin, where he may find the opposition more robust than some of Bristol’s efforts at the weekend. But if the 25-year-old is named in Steve Borthwick’s squad, he will deal a blow not only to the wider Willis family, but also to big-hearted and persevering pros around the world.
Judging by the more striking of his two tries over the weekend, a thunderous 40-yard effort that left at least three would-be tacklers in his wake, the younger Willis is very much the type of player who responds positively to a challenge. . His older brother is similarly made, having already missed his first senior tour with England, to South Africa in 2018, due to an untimely injury before his misfortune at Twickenham four years ago.
Unless you’ve healed from a long-term injury yourself – or have witnessed the struggle as a parent or partner – it can be difficult to fully appreciate the mental determination required. Some of us haven’t had remarkable playing careers but, on this very subject, your correspondent can speak with real first-hand authority. Ultimately, it was less about overcoming the injuries themselves and more about the accumulated mental burden.
A half-dozen dislocated shoulders and two major surgeries on the same problem joint — the metal rod that holds it together is still clearly visible on X-rays — consumed so much mental bandwidth that a simple wrist fracture ultimately enough to cause my premature retirement. I still longed to play – even now I miss the evocative smells of a rugby locker room – but the prospect of even more harnesses, resistance bands and appointments with a physio was everything just too depressing.
The good news, in retrospect, is that it sparked a genuine admiration for those made of sterner stuff. Anyone who wins a century of Test caps or plays top-level rugby into their thirties is, by definition, a sporting superhero. Take Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, for example, who are still doing their selfless part for Leicester this weekend. Or, for that matter, their current teammate Mike Brown, 39 years young and furious at the death of a light that categorically refuses to go out.
Jamie George is another enduring example. Three hundred appearances as a one-club man for Saracens, on top of everything the England captain has achieved in the game, is a colossal achievement. Ditto for Alex Goode and Danny Care, although they remain behind Richard Wigglesworth who made 449 collective appearances for Sale, Saracens and Leicester.
Of course, not everyone enjoys such longevity. The biggest of bodies can collapse, one concussion too many can instantly end a career. Real respect, then, to Rhodri Williams, who won his first Wales cap for 10 years last November, and, at the time, to New Zealander Ned Hughes, who had to wait 13 years between caps on each side of the first. world war. Playing every week is sometimes the easy part; it can be even harder when you’re not chosen.
That’s why this first Breakdown of 2025 section is dedicated to those who endure extraordinary ups and downs while continuing to truck. Tom Curry in England, Cian Healy in Ireland, James Slipper in Australia, the formidable Pumas hooker Agustín Creevy who hopes to play beyond his 40th birthday at Benetton, Jimmy Gopperth who is already doing so for Provence. Hats off to tireless Premiership leaders such as Lewis Ludlow, Callum Chick and Jack Yeandle who don’t always receive as much recognition for their selfless work. And congratulations again, finally, to the Willis family for reminding us that nothing is impossible if you want it enough.
This is an extract from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To register, simply visit this page and follow the instructions.
