Jack Willis, the flanker currently playing for Toulouse in France’s Top 14, has indicated openness to the possibility of switching his international rugby allegiance to Ireland. Willis, who last represented England in a Test match against Chile on September 23, 2023, is ineligible to play for England while competing in France, but will qualify to represent Ireland next month under World Rugby’s eligibility rules.
Willis’s eligibility for Ireland comes through his grandfather, who was born in Belfast. Having completed the required three-year stand-down period from international rugby, Willis is now able to consider representing Ireland, provided other conditions are met. According to sources, the Irish Rugby Football Union’s (IRFU) performance director, David Humphreys, has previously contacted Willis to discuss his plans.
Despite his willingness to explore the option, any move to play for Ireland would require Willis to join one of the country’s four provincial teams—Leinster, Munster, Ulster, or Connacht—due to Ireland’s policy, similar to England’s, requiring players to be based domestically to maintain national selection eligibility. The IRFU is not believed to be open to exceptions, such as a temporary “secondment” arrangement where Willis would play in Ireland just for a World Cup cycle before returning to Toulouse.
Willis is currently under contract with Toulouse through 2029 and has expressed strong loyalty to the club, where he has enjoyed considerable success, including being named the Top 14 player of the year for the second consecutive season and winning the league title. Speaking at the recent Nuit du Rugby awards in Paris, Willis acknowledged his Irish roots and suggested that journalists investigate potential pathways for him to re-enter international competition, albeit with some humor.
“I’m a quarter-Irish, but I believe they’ve got the same rules as England. I don’t know. You can do some digging, that’s your job. You find the route [around the rules],” he said.
Willis, 29, acknowledges the toll his current ineligibility for England has taken on his international career aspirations. He left his boyhood club Wasps in 2022 after the club’s financial collapse and decided to remain at Toulouse despite the implications for his Test prospects. “I miss it,” he said. “But, when you make a decision, you have to make sure that you’ve made the right one… It wasn’t my choice at the beginning, but it has been my choice to stay here.”
Looking ahead, Willis remains proud of his achievements with Toulouse and is focused on continuing his club career. He also recognized the uncertainty surrounding his long-term future at the French club. “Potentially they won’t want me when we get to that point. I might be old by then. I’ll always have that in the back of my mind. But I don’t think you should live life with regrets. I think you make a decision and you just need to embrace it from the get-go.”
While the prospect of an international switch to Ireland remains remote given the domestic playing requirements, the possibility persists if an Irish provincial club signs Willis after his current Toulouse contract expires. For now, Willis’s focus remains with his club career and the potential for reinstatement on the international stage.