Jack Willis: Flanker 'grateful' for England role amid 'upsetting' demise of club side Wasps
- Published
Jack Willis has scored two tries in his four England caps - notching against both Georgia and Italy at Twickenham
Jack Willis says he feels "incredibly privileged and grateful" to be involved with England after the "scary and upsetting" demise of his beloved Wasps.
Willis is part of Eddie Jones' 36-man squad for the autumn internationals, but the flanker is without a club after Wasps were put into administration.
He was one of 167 players and staff made redundant by the since-demoted Premiership side earlier this month.
"It's quite daunting to think that has all been taken away," Willis, 25, said.
Speaking to BBC Sport from England's training camp in Jersey, Willis outlined the emotions felt by the Wasps squad when they realised the gravity of the situation.
"It was a pretty eerie atmosphere - it is hard to describe how it felt," he explained.
"[The administrators] started to talk about how to claim redundancy pay and everyone sat there completely stunned.
"You think in your head: 'Have I actually lost my job?' and you realise everyone in that room, as of that minute, no longer had a job at Wasps, and who knows what the future holds for everyone individually and also the club?
"It was pretty scary to be honest with you and pretty upsetting."
'I always believed someone would come in'
Despite the ominous signs over the summer, with Wasps owing £2m in tax as well as defaulting on a £35m bond repayment, Willis still hoped a resolution could be found to save the club he joined as a teenager.
"On the surface I was saying it wasn't looking good, but I always believed someone would come in and solve things," he admitted.
"We came in on that Monday expecting to be told administration was official, not expecting that within a minute of the meeting we were all being made redundant."
But despite the brutal reality of the situation afflicting his boyhood club, Willis says he has tried not to harbour resentment towards those who presided over Wasps' slide into oblivion.
"You go through a mixture of emotions, but I can't change anything," he added.
"That's the main thing, I can't change anything; it's done now. This decision has been made, and now I just want to look back and think how grateful I am.
Wasps are the only professional club Jack Willis (centre) and younger brother Tom (left) have played for
"The club gave me the opportunity to play alongside my brother [Tom], alongside my best mates, and create mates and memories for life.
"You can run through a whole host of emotions but the main thing for me now is thinking about the fond memories."
Focusing on England with club future uncertain
Willis says he has yet to resolve his future following the November internationals - "nothing is set up" - and has warned about the difficult landscape facing out-of-work players in the current climate.
"In a perfect world we would all move somewhere together, stay with my brother and stay with my mates, but that's not realistic," he added.
"You hear some of the numbers being chucked around to lads, some of the pay cuts are 75%. In no other walk of life would you even consider it. The trouble is it's our dreams to play rugby.
"You have just got to hope we can all get through this season. We will just see what happens but it is going to be very tough for a lot of people."
Meanwhile, Willis says his focus now is to play his way back into the England team and add to his four caps, with Twickenham showdowns against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa coming up in November.
"I have five weeks to focus on something that is the pinnacle of my career and something I have always wanted to be part of," he said.
"I don't have a club to think about, that is why you have an agent to look out for you. My agent is working round the clock and keeps telling me to focus on the field and train well.
"I have a great opportunity now. I only have one focus now and it's England. My family have never seen me play live in an England shirt, so that is a motivation for me.
"All I can say is I can promise I will be giving everything to make sure I can get that opportunity."