The threat was identified, but the Bordelais still suffered it hard. In the absence of Antoine Dupont, Peato Mauvaka and while Romain Ntamack left his family at the break, Jack Willis guided his partners to a 24th title in Top 14 (39-33, AP). The Briton imposed his aggressiveness from one end to the other of the Stade de France. No one has competed in the face of the 28 -year -old flanker’s activity and intensity.
Willis (1.90m, 112 kg) realized the best: scratching, chewing hot balloons, a sector where no one is admitted to his table in the French championship. From the 8th minute, he set the tone, throwing himself on a Romain Buros who took advantage of a disorganized Toulouse defense. But Ntamack had been penalized, Maxime Lucu placed the Union Bordeaux-Bègles ahead. So the Native of Reading took care of repositioning his team at the helm of the match. With his comrades Jelonch and Cros, he formed an exceptional third line.
Suddenly, at the 39th and 45th minutes, he scored two primordial tests. The first to make the red and black pass the half-time in the lead, at the end of a carried carried designed for him. The second, five minutes after returning from the locker room to prevent the Girondins from imagining themselves too quickly with the Brennus shield in their hands. The Toulousans pounded the Bordeaux line. Unsurprisingly, Willis stung the strongest to pierce her.
The pink city rather than the XV of the rose
In the process, Thomas Ramos transformed the test (27-23, 45th). The squad of Yannick Bru was never able to double that of Ugo Mola, although the exit from English (76th) coincided with the cold sweats of Toulouse, who ended up imposing themselves in overtime.
Regularly named man of the match during this exercise, the number 7 deserved new laurels this Saturday evening, on the luminous scene of the final. Enough to reward the communicative combativeness of the one who inherited from the capital during the duplicate period, when the internationals are not available.
If he participated in the 2023 World Cup in France and he won the international crown with the U20s, his selections counter with England is blocked at 14 capes. However, his choice to leave the wasps and rally the hexagon was paid. To the point that he drew a cross on the 2027 World Cup by extending in the Haut-Garonnais until 2029. Indeed, the English coach, Steve Barthwick, cannot summon players evolving abroad. In the XV of the rose, Willis preferred the pink city.
Ironically, his brother, Tom, had chosen Bordeaux, whom he left in 2023 for the Saracens. “I hope that he will support the Stade Toulousain, Jack had launched at Midi Olympique before the final. “But I still have to send him a Toulouse jersey. With my brother, we always support each other before any event, ”he said.
Inevitably imbued with rough English culture, the third wing line quickly adopted the game in Toulouse. His leadership temperament, vocal encouragement, good humor and express learning of French have done the rest so that it becomes essential on the banks of the Garonne. Very close to the Seine, the Stade de France also has gravity around it. Incredible, English came into play during the second period of extension, when nothing was done. It will be the action that offers the winning penalty to Ramos. Necessarily. This is the story of Jack Willis, an Englishman who became king of the Garonne.
