Jack Willis should play for British & Irish Lions, says Benjamin Kayser

The only people who would be happy to see Jack Willis miss out on the British & Irish Lions this summer are Australians according to former France hooker Benjamin Kayser.

The Toulouse flanker will have his final audition for Andy Farrell this week before the Lions squad announcement next Thursday, with the 2024 Investec Champions Cup winners in semi-final action away to Bordeaux-Bègles, live and exclusive in the UK on Premier Sports.

With the French season extending beyond the start of the Lions Tour, and England’s selection policy currently meaning that Willis cannot play Test rugby, and has not had as many opportunities to stake a claim as some of his rivals.

However, Willis simply has to travel for Kayser, who won both the Premiership and the Top 14 titles during spells with Leicester Tigers and Clermont.

He said: “It makes me very happy that a young man took the risk to leave England and grow as a person, and it’s paying dividends. He’s a Top 14 champion, a Champions Cup champion, he’s a world-class player, he should go play for the Lions, otherwise, the only people happy will be the Australians.

“How many foreigners have you seen in two and a half years become captain of Toulouse? He captains them when the internationals are away. That is a testament of respect. The last person to do that was probably Jerome Kaino, who was a double World Cup winner and was there for longer than Jack.

“There is also a ton of competition at his position, there is François Cros but also (Matthis) Castro-Ferreira, a young buck that is an U20s world champion just behind. You would think for the benefit of the French team, you would fast-track the young buck, but Jack Willis plays every single game.”

Toulouse will put a remarkable record on the line this weekend, having never lost a knockout game to French opposition in the Investec Champions Cup – the only French side ever to eliminate them were Brive, who progressed on tries scored after a drawn semi-final back in 1998.

They face a free-scoring Bordeaux side, who have two of the world’s best wingers in Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, although Toulouse won 59-3 when they met in last season’s Top 14 final.

That was with Antoine Dupont pulling the strings, however, and with the France skipper and world’s best player sidelined with a torn ACL, Kayser believes Bordeaux have a shot, even if they go in as underdogs.

Kayser is part of the Premier Sports team bringing every minute of live action and all the analysis for the four box office EPCR semi-finals this weekend and added: “Bordeaux and Toulouse are the rock stars of the Top 14 this season, and also the Champions Cup. But Toulouse’s experience, they are the reigning champions and they have been dominating where Bordeaux got knocked out by Quins last year and got destroyed in the final by Toulouse, they are the ones that need to prove that on the big stage, they are there.

“In Toulouse, with Antoine Dupont, I don’t think there is a world where Bordeaux could have done it. But in Bordeaux, with no Antoine Dupont if there is one team who can beat them, it’s Bordeaux. It’s going to be a super tough one. Toulouse are favourites because they annoy me with how good they are.

“Bordeaux aren’t there yet, as extraordinary as they are, but if they want to prove that they are here, Sunday is the moment.”

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