Jack Willis England return: Toulouse star jokes about Test comeback after retaining Top 14 award
Jack Willis has once again put himself at the centre of the England rugby conversation, although the Toulouse star knows there is no simple route back to international rugby.
The 29-year-old has just retained the Top 14 Player of the Year award, becoming only the second player after Antoine Dupont to win the prestigious individual prize more than once. Yet while Willis continues to collect major honours in France, his international career with England remains on hold.
And when reporters asked about his Test rugby future, Willis responded with a smile and a challenge: they should find a way for him to get back into international rugby.
It was a light-hearted comment, but there is a serious story behind it.
Willis still wants to play international rugby. The problem is that his decision to remain at Toulouse means he is outside England’s established selection policy.
Why Jack Willis cannot currently play for England
Willis has not played for England since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. His most recent appearance came in England’s pool-stage victory over Chile, taking his international tally to 14 caps.
His path to Toulouse began after Wasps went out of business in 2022. Willis joined the French club in November that year and was initially allowed to continue representing England because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding the collapse of Wasps.
However, once Willis decided to make his future in France, the situation changed.
England have a long-standing policy that generally limits selection to players based in the domestic Premiership. The idea is to help English clubs retain leading players while also giving the national team greater access to its international players.
That policy has left Willis watching England from France despite becoming one of the most successful forwards in the Top 14.
The issue has become even more noticeable because of his performances.
Willis played 23 of Toulouse’s 28 Top 14 matches during the 2025-26 campaign and helped the club win another French championship. He has now collected four Top 14 titles with Toulouse, as well as the Champions Cup crown won in 2024.
His latest individual award only added to the debate.
Willis was voted the best player in the Top 14 for 2025-26, finishing ahead of Bordeaux-Bègles and France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and Clermont’s Harry Plummer. He had already won the same award for the previous season.
That makes his international situation particularly intriguing.
‘It’s something I still want to do’
Willis has never hidden the fact that playing for England remains important to him.
Speaking about his Test career, he acknowledged that staying in France came with a price.
“You know what you sacrifice,” Willis said. “It’s something I still want to do, but rules are rules.”
That sums up the situation rather neatly.
Willis chose Toulouse knowing that the decision could cost him an England place. His contract with the French giants runs until 2029, meaning there is no immediate indication that he intends to return to the Premiership simply to make himself available for England.
His success in France also makes the situation harder to ignore.
Toulouse have become one of the dominant forces in European rugby, and Willis has developed into a key part of that side. His defensive work, breakdown ability and physical presence have made him a regular difference-maker for the club.
His latest Top 14 award is further evidence of his standing in French rugby. France-based reporting noted that he played a major role during the season, including during periods when international windows created player absences elsewhere.
Could Ireland give Jack Willis another international route?
There is another interesting twist to the Jack Willis England return story.
Willis is potentially eligible to represent Ireland because his grandfather was born in Belfast.
World Rugby’s Regulation 8 allows a player who has represented one union to apply to represent another if the player has the necessary birthright connection and has completed a three-year stand-down period. World Rugby also requires approval for such a transfer.
Willis’ last England appearance came at the 2023 World Cup, meaning the three-year period is now relevant.
However, eligibility under World Rugby regulations does not automatically mean that Ireland would select him.
Ireland also has a strong preference for players based within its domestic system. That creates a problem very similar to the one Willis already faces with England.
In other words, simply becoming eligible for Ireland does not create an instant escape route from the Toulouse situation.
Willis himself knows this.
“I’m a quarter Irish, but they have the same rules as England,” he said.
That is why his joking message to reporters about finding a solution was so revealing. The rules themselves are not particularly mysterious. The difficult part is finding a route that allows him to remain at Toulouse while also returning to Test rugby.
England’s overseas selection debate is growing
Willis’ situation is also part of a wider discussion around England’s overseas-player policy.
Former England captain Courtney Lawes recently argued that England should consider changing the restriction and make more overseas-based players available for selection. Lawes specifically highlighted players such as Willis who remain outside the national team’s reach while playing in France.
That does not mean England are about to abandon their policy.
The rule exists for a reason. English clubs want incentives to keep their best players in the Premiership, while the England coaching setup benefits from greater access to its squad members.
Changing the policy could therefore have consequences beyond one player.
But Willis is an unusually strong case because of what he has achieved since leaving England.
He has become a four-time French champion, won the Champions Cup and collected consecutive Top 14 Player of the Year awards.
At the same time, England are preparing for the next generation of international rugby with the 2027 Rugby World Cup approaching.
That naturally keeps the question alive: could one of England’s most accomplished overseas-based forwards eventually find his way back?
What happens next for Jack Willis?
For now, Willis remains a Toulouse player.
His contract runs until 2029, and he has already accepted that remaining in France comes with international consequences. A move back to England would potentially reopen the door to Steve Borthwick’s squad, but there is currently no indication that such a move is imminent.
The Ireland option is also complicated by Ireland’s own domestic selection preference.
So, despite the headlines, there is no confirmed Jack Willis England return at this stage.
What is clear is that Willis has not lost his appetite for Test rugby.
His comments after winning another Top 14 Player of the Year award show that the England jersey still matters to him. His tongue-in-cheek challenge to reporters may have been delivered with a smile, but it has once again put his international future under the spotlight.
For England supporters, the debate is unlikely to disappear while Willis continues performing at such a high level in France.
And for Willis, the message is simple: he has made his choice, he understands the rules, but he still wants to play international rugby.
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