Oscars Midol – Oscar Europe: Willis, eternal recognition

To measure how much the European Oscar awarded to Jack Willis this Monday evening is deserved, we just need to ask ourselves one question: what would have happened to Stade Toulouse last season without him? The same question already existed at the end of the 2022-2023 season when, deprived of Anthony Jelonch seriously injured in one knee, the club offered itself a twenty-second Bouclier de Brennus at the end of a victorious final against La Rochelle marked by the personal exploit of Romain Ntamack and the exceptional performance of the English third row. A jewel landed at Ernest-Wallon at the end of November 2022 after the liquidation of Wasps, his long-time team… A gift from heaven for manager Ugo Mola and his assistants. And it's a bit the same thing that the Stade group had to go through from January 2024, when Jelonch experienced another fall, seriously injured his other knee. Deprived of its Gers warrior, the Toulouse staff nevertheless knew that it could rely on another outstanding fighter, in the person of Willis, who chose to put his international career on hold in order to continue his adventure with the Rouge et Black. After its participation in the World Cup in France, the Federation decided not to review its eligibility rules and therefore not to retain players playing abroad. Which did not prevent the person concerned from extending his contract at Ernest-Wallon, where he has undeniably progressed to establish himself as one of the best flankers on the planet, despite his suffering of no longer wearing the jersey of the XV of the Rose…

Diabolical in the final against Leinster

In the Champions Cup, Jack Willis simply piled up XXL performances. Already breathtaking in the eighth, quarter and semi-final of the Champions Cup, Willis was downright diabolical in the final against Leinster, with impressive activity. Imagine he made no less than thirty tackles in total, obviously the highest total in the game. Without overshadowing his Dantesque performance in the ground game. Clearly, the English reigned in the areas of conflict. His summit, collective and personal, as he dominated that day the Doris, Baird, Conan or Van der Flier, world references in the matter… And his emotion was at the height of his riot of energy, in the corridors of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: “The last few seasons have been complicated for me: Wasps disappeared, I didn't play as much in the national team that I would have liked… In this sense, what Toulouse offers me today is immense. I have rarely experienced such moments of happiness. After the final whistle, I stood on the pitch for several minutes and thought: “I, who have dreamed of winning the Champions Cup since I was 6 years old, have just done it against Leinster and after a match with a hundred minutes left.” And I smiled.” He could, as he was decisive in the Toulouse coronation, came to validate his sacrifices, as in obtaining his second Brennus a month later, at the end of a final against Union Bordeaux-Bègles which saw him again reign supreme. “There was a lot of disappointment after the World Cup for me and for the World Cup guysexplained Willis on stage. We were very motivated to win something. I'm happy to have done the double. My greatest pride is having won the Champions Cup. As an Englishman it has a special value.”