'Done it once, I'll do it again!' - Injured England star Willis posts update

Jack Willis has provided an update on social media following surgery to his left knee this week. The Wasps and England flanker sustained a devastating knee injury in round two of the Guinness Six Nations against Italy.

After coming on in the second half, the 24-year-old only managed six minutes before he was stretchered off after being crocodile rolled by Sebastian Negri. It was an eventful six minutes though, in which he also managed to score a try.

Initial fears were assuaged by Wasps head coach Lee Blackett, who said the injury was not as bad as it could have been. He did say that it was a “significant injury” and though a timeframe for his recovery has not yet been outlined, Willis is still expected to be ruled out for a long time.

But the first steps in his recovery have already been made, and he shared a post on social media on Thursday after undergoing surgery. The photos show him in a hospital bed and on crutches alongside the caption “Done it once, I’ll do it again! Recovery starts now…”

Despite his age, this is the second major knee injury the three-cap Englishman has suffered in his career.

Willis ruptured his ACL in 2018 only days after being selected for Eddie Jones’ England squad to tour South Africa that summer, although it was his right knee on that occasion. He returned to full form after that injury, and was named the RPA players’ player of the year last season after guiding Wasps to the Gallagher Premiership final in October. That looks to have given him the confidence to tackle this next spell on sidelines and recapture the form he showed throughout 2020.

Willis’ injury has opened up new discussions about the legality of crocodile rolls in rugby and player welfare.