The Breakdown | Willis brothers prove that resilience is key in harsh world of rugby union

2 days ago

Sometimes people forget the most priceless quality in a rugby player.It can also be easily overlooked, particularly on sunny days in benign conditions when tries flow like warm honey.Even away from home in deepest midwinter, with sub-zero temperatures freezing your snot, it is only fully visible to those aware of just how deep certain individuals have already had to dig to be there.So yes, size clearly matters to some extent.Vision, too, in a game that grows ever quicker.

Athleticism, power and pace, obviously,Tactical nous, regardless of position,Above all else, though, is something that goes beyond mere routine commitment,Call it resilience, character, stubbornness, competitiveness or virtual insanity, it is particularly evident in adversity,Some people have it by the bucket-load, others less so.

It is often the reason why certain players are more revered by their teammates and coaches than by the wider public.They don’t just talk a good game, they consistently go out and deliver, regardless of the obstacles.Eddie Jones, for one, specifically used to favour players who regained their feet fastest and instantly rejoined the defensive line.Everyone will get knocked down at some point in life; not everyone can bounce straight back up again.We are not talking here, to be clear, about foolishly playing on when badly injured or dazed, once the default behaviour of supposedly macho warriors.

It is more about saluting the type of player who endures morale-sapping injuries, desperate career disappointment or off-field anguish and re-emerges the stronger for it,There continue to be some deeply impressive case studies, none of whom would be where they are now without serious inner steel,Take the Willis brothers, Jack and Tom, now starring for Toulouse and Saracens respectively,Not so long ago both siblings were unemployed after the abrupt financial collapse of Wasps,Jack also suffered a horrible knee injury playing for England against Italy in February 2021 but has rebounded to become one of the finest back-rowers in Europe.

Tom had to pack his bags and briefly relocate to Bordeaux but is now back in north London and edging ever closer to Six Nations recognition.It remains to be seen whether the latter will be thrust straight in at No 8 for England against Ireland next month in Dublin, where he may find the opposition tackling more robust than some of Bristol’s weekend efforts.But if the 25-year-old is named in Steve Borthwick’s squad he will be striking a sizeable blow not merely for the wider Willis family but for big-hearted, persevering pros everywhere.Judging by the most eye-catching of his two tries at the weekend, a thunderous 40-metre effort that left at least three would-be tacklers in his wake, the younger Willis is very much the type of player who reacts positively to a challenge.His older brother is made of similar stuff, having already missed out on his first senior tour with England, to South Africa in 2018, because of an untimely injury prior to his Twickenham misfortune four years ago.

Unless you have rehabbed a long-term injury yourself – or witnessed the struggle as a parent or partner – it can be hard to appreciate fully the mental resolve required,Some of us did not have distinguished playing careers but, on this particular subject, your correspondent can speak with genuine first-hand authority,In the end, it was less about overcoming the actual injuries themselves than the accumulated mental toll,Half a dozen dislocated shoulders and two major surgeries on the same troublesome joint – the metal pin holding it together still shows up nicely on X-rays – took up so much mental bandwidth that a simple broken wrist was ultimately enough to prompt my premature retirement,I still very much wanted to play – even now I miss the evocative odours of a rugby dressing room – but the prospect of yet more slings, resistance bands and physio appointments was just too depressing.

The good news, in retrospect, is that it fostered a genuine admiration for those made of sterner stuff,Anyone who wins a century of Test caps or plays top-level rugby into their late 30s is, by definition, a sporting superhero,Take Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, for example, still doing their unselfish bit for Leicester at the weekend,Or, for that matter, their current teammate Mike Brown, 39 years young and raging against the dying of a light that utterly refuses to go out,Sign up to The BreakdownThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewedafter newsletter promotionJamie George is another enduring example.

Three hundred appearances as a one-club man for Saracens, on top of everything else the England captain has achieved in the game, is a colossal achievement,Ditto for Alex Goode and Danny Care, although they still sit behind Richard Wigglesworth who made 449 collective appearances for Sale, Saracens and Leicester,Not everyone, of course, is blessed with such longevity,The biggest of bodies can break down, one concussion too many can instantly curtail a career,Real respect, then, to the likes of Rhodri Williams, who earned his first Wales cap for 10 years last November, and, back in the day, to New Zealand’s Ned Hughes, who had to wait 13 years between caps either side of the first world war.

Playing every week is sometimes the easy bit; it can be even tougher when you are not being picked.Hence why this first Breakdown column of 2025 is dedicated to those who endure extraordinary highs and lows and still keep on trucking.Tom Curry in England, Cian Healy in Ireland, James Slipper in Australia, the redoubtable Pumas hooker Agustín Creevy who hopes to play on past his 40th birthday at Benetton, Jimmy Gopperth who is already doing so for Provence.Chapeau to tireless Premiership leaders such as Lewis Ludlow, Callum Chick and Jack Yeandle who do not always receive as much recognition for their selfless toil.And well done again, finally, to the Willis family for reminding us that nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough.

This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown,To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions,

foodSee all

How to make chips without potatoes | Kitchen aide

It’s hard to deny the allure of a big ol’ pile of hot, fat, crisp, salty chips, but with the festive season finally over, now is a time to ring the changes. And if that means swapping your spuds for another veg, so be it. For a good chip alternative, “any fibrous root vegetable that can hold its shape will fry up a treat”, says Alice Zaslavsky, author of Salad for Days, but you don’t necessarily have to fry them: “You can roast them, or you can cook them in an air fryer. As long as there’s enough oil and a high enough temperature, you’re good to go.”Sweet potatoes are the obvious alternative, but they have a higher moisture and sugar content, and have form for turning soggy or just plain burning

1 day ago

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for tamarind chickpeas with cavolo nero | Quick and easy

Tamarind chickpeas – a little sweet, a little sour – are my absolute favourite, and I never run out of ways to cook them. This version is simply boosted with chilli, cumin and sugar, so there’s no long list of spices, either. Fresh tomatoes and cavolo nero add plant points and interest, while pickled pink onions bring crunch and sharpness. If you want a quick, 30-minute curry, make this with jarred chickpeas; if you’re using tinned, cook them for longer and with more boiling water, because they need more time to soak up the flavours.Scoop this up with flatbreads or, even better, cooked-from-frozen Shana parathas

3 days ago

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for lentil and spinach soup | A kitchen in Rome

Once upon a time in Messina, there lived a boy named Nick who loved to swim. Or so begins the tale of Cola Pesce, told by many, including Italo Calvino in his book of Italian folktales. So great was his love that Nick spent his days and nights in the sea while his mother stood on the shore, pleading: “Oh, Nick, come out of the water, you are not a fish.” He didn’t listen, though, and every day he swam farther out while his desperate mum yelled across the water until it gave her a kink in her intestines. Then, one day, having screamed herself hoarse, she blurted out – as is so often the case in such circumstances – “Nick, may you turn into a fish

3 days ago

Notes on chocolate: the best dark choc for this dark time of year

January is a fine time to experiment with bars of 80% and overSo here we are. Through the other side. Despite my protestations that deep winter is not the time for deprivation, I have several friends on diets and attempted overhauls of their lives. Luckily, none have given up chocolate completely, but some of them are opting for the 80% and over.There is good reason for this: it’s got more health benefits and far less sugar, and if you don’t eat loads of sugar anyway a very high percentage chocolate tastes epic and actually quite sweet

4 days ago

Sunday with Paddy McGuinness: ‘I’m a double carb man’

The radio presenter talks about his meaty Sunday dinners, condiments, trimmings, being spoiled as a child and doing what he’s told as a dadSunday routine? I get up, do the kids’ breakfasts and leave about 9am to do my Radio 2 show. I get there at 10am, the show starts at 11am, so my Sunday doesn’t start properly until 1pm.What happens then? I’ll go straight online and order myself Sunday dinner. Beggars can’t be choosers, so I’ll take whatever meat they’ve got on offer.Trimmings? I’m a double carb man, so mash and roast potatoes, good veg, and a big old Yorkshire pudding absolutely obliterated by gravy

4 days ago

Drinks to help you make the most of dry January

See out damp or dry January without losing the will to live with these low and no alcohol drinksThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Torres Natureo Rosé, Spain NV (from £6, ocado.com; amazon

4 days ago

recentSee all

;