He’s been one of the standout players in this year’s Gallagher Premiership. Now Tom Willis has been selected for his first England start.
Tom Willis has been one of the standout players in the Gallagher Premiership this season, making the Saracens number 8 shirt his own following Billy Vunipola’s move to Montpellier.
Now, having made his first international appearance since 2023 in England’s Six Nations 2025 opener against Ireland, Willis has earned a place in Steve Borthwick’s starting line-up to face a much-fancied France team this weekend.
Read more: England 2025 Six Nations squad
Here’s 10 things you should know about England’s highly rated back-row forward.
10 things you should know about Tom Willis
1. Tom Willis was born on 18 January 1999 in Reading in the south of England.
2. He’s the younger brother of Toulouse and England back-rower Jack Willis.
3. Growing up the Willis brothers used to team up for two-on-two matches in their garden against their dad and sister Annabelle. “I’m surprised we didn’t get more injuries,” Tom told the Telegraph. “The games could go pretty rogue. We would all be within inches of the shed, broken nails, bits of wood…”
4. Willis went through the Wasps youth system, and made his Premiership debut aged 18 against future club Saracens.
5. He was part of the England U20 squad that reached the final of the 2018 World Championship, ultimately losing to France.
Tom Willis has been in outstanding form for Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership this season (Sam Mellish/Getty Images)
6. When Wasps were suspended from the league after going into administration during 2022, both of the Willis brothers moved to France. Tom joined Top 14 side Bordeaux-Bègles.
7. The pull of one day playing for England ultimately proved too great, however, and he returned to the Premiership with Saracens for the 2023-24 season. “I felt like I had not had a proper crack at playing for England and that is really what I wanted to do,” he said.
8. Willis was part of Steve Borthwick’s training squad for the 2023 World Cup. He made his international debut as a replacement against Wales in a warm-up match, but wasn’t selected to travel to France for the tournament. He didn’t play for his country again until he came off the bench to replace Saracens teammate Ben Earl in England’s 2025 Six Nations opener against Ireland.
9. If Willis had to pick three headline acts for a dream music festival, he’d go for the Kooks, Arctic Monkeys (“playing their old stuff”) and the Beautiful South.
10. Former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio, a man who knows a thing or two about the back row, has compared Willis to All Blacks legend Kieran Read.
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