Lawrence Dallaglio has called on England to change their selection rules around overseas-based players, citing the 'tragic' omission of Jack Willis.
The Toulouse star this week retained his Top14 Player of the Season title after another superb campaign in France, where he's been plying his trade since 2022.
But despite his sky-high stock, Willis hasn't represented England since the World Cup in 2023 due to the RFU's policy restricting selection to players based in England.
Willis considering Ireland switch
As a result, he's reportedly been considering switching allegiances to Ireland, whom he's eligible to represent through his Belfast-born grandfather.
He told reporters to find a way around the rules shortly after accepting his award, and Dallaglio thinks the back-rower should be given the opportunity to return to the international fold, particularly with another World Cup on the horizon.
“This rule is all about player control,” said Dallaglio.
“There’s a concern that if players go away to places like France, they won’t be made available for internationals or that their diets, regime and development would suffer.
“The opposite has proved to be true. Jack Willis is five times the player he was when he left the UK. It’s tragic from a personal level and on a national level, it seems crazy that the best English player plying his trade in France is ineligible to play for the national team having already appeared for England previously.
“Jack is a wonderful guy and every single player wants to play international rugby at the highest level. He has made no secret of that but unfortunately at the time when his previous club went into administration, he had no choice but to move overseas. To make a player choose between his international future and his family’s future is unacceptable.”
Dallaglio's own eligibility dilemma
Dallaglio won 85 caps for England during a 12-year international career, which included a World Cup victory in 2003, but admits he would have been tempted to switch allegiances had he been in Willis' shoes, having also been eligible to represent Ireland and Italy.
“There’s no doubt that had I not got picked or had an illustrious career playing for England, I would have gone back to Ireland cap-in-hand and asked to play for Ireland,” he said.
“We are now in that position where Jack is eligible to do so. They may come knocking, they may not – Andy Farrell is a pretty astute coach, so he’d be pretty silly not to ask the question. England’s loss could be Ireland’s gain.
“It seems incredible this rule is still in place. Jack’s brother, Tom, was England’s best forward in the PREM last year and certainly their best-performing player in the Champions Cup last year, and is already tearing up trees after two or three games at Bordeaux.
“England’s competitiveness in the World Cup would be strengthened by the inclusion of Tom and Jack Willis but that can’t be done under the existing rules. That’s a shame.”
