Ireland set to ‘exploit’ unique rugby rule to sign former England star

International rugby has taken a back seat to club rugby until the summer, but Ireland and England will be looking ahead to July when they take part in the inaugural Nations Championship.

Andy Farrell and Steve Borthwick will be monitoring their players at club level and making their judgements of who should be involved in the Irish and English camps.

Ireland will be aiming to build off a strong Six Nations campaign in which they were able to blood fresh talent as they prepare for the 2027 World Cup.

However, the Irish may be chasing the signature of one former England star, according to the Irish Independent's rugby correspondent, Ruaidhri O'Connor, to add to this team as he becomes Irish-qualified in October.

O’Connor believes Ireland should go all out to get Jack Willis from Toulouse when his contract expires despite the back row having represented England on 14 occasions.

Jack Willis of Toulouse reacts during the Investec Champions Cup match between Stade Toulousain and Bristol Bears (Getty Images)

Speaking on the Indo Sport podcast, he said: “If someone [Irish province] made him an offer he could not refuse.

“He is not going to play for England while he is in France, and he can play for Ireland if one of the provinces signs him for his next contract.

“The IRFU are currently on a mission to recruit Irish-qualified players; they have signed Josh Neill from South Africa. Ulster have two Irish-qualified teenagers coming over next year. They are scouring the world for who can add to Ireland.

“There is a player there who is playing out of his skin.

“The IRFU have tried to sign Tom Willis several times, and he has turned them down, and I’m sure they have tried to sign Jack Willis before. It is not to be dismissed.

“I think there is something in it, and I don’t think he is coming back straight away, but he is Irish-qualified and available from October, and he is a very good player.

“Hoskins Sotutu is going to play for England this autumn, maybe even this summer, as he signed for Newcastle Red Bulls. He is an All Black. This rule is there to be exploited; everyone is doing it. I don’t like it.”

Like in football, there is a grandparent rule in rugby that you can represent another country to the one you were born in if you so decide; however, it is interesting in rugby that there is also a residency rule that if you play for a club in a country for five years, you are then able to represent that nation.

Toulouse's English flanker Jack Willis (L) and Saracens' English number 8 Tom Willis grapple with each other during the European Rugby Champions Cup (Getty Images)

In this case Ireland are looking to exploit the former rule as they will attempt to secure the services of Jack Willis at the end of his current contract; it is also likely England will do the same to bring him back into the international fold.

Yet, the trio on the Indo Sport podcast of O’Connor, Luke Fitzgerald and Will Slattery suggested that the Willis brothers perhaps did not rate the coach of Borthwick and the England setup if they were willing to play their rugby in France.

This suggestion was made as Tom Willis, who had been playing for England under Borthwick, opted to leave Saracens to join Bordeaux-Begles at the end of the campaign, bringing to a close his international career at least for the length of that deal and ahead of the World Cup in 2027.

However, this decision by the Willis brothers to play in France could also just be because of the financial benefits they would receive from doing so, as the Top 14 clubs can offer significantly higher wages to players than the teams in the PREM.

Fans of England will know there has been a debate for years now about whether the RFU should allow players from leagues outside the PREM to be selected for England duty, as this may return them to the peak of rugby and help them in their mission to lift a second World Cup; however, the union stands firm in its decision to reward those that opt to play for an English club.