{
  "id": 14673037,
  "title": "“If I was in charge of England, I’d try to buy Jack Willis out of his contract, bring him back to England and make him captain”: Former England captain Will Carling on the Willis brothers, Henry Pollock and making headlines on and off the pitch",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/if-i-was-in-charge-of-england-id-try-to-buy-jack-willis-out-of-his",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T10:35:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Rugby World",
    "slug": "rugby-world",
    "url": "https://www.rugbyworld.com/featured/will-carling-interview-rugby-is-still-way-off-where-it-needs-to-be-185967"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Will Carling, former England captain, still holds strong opinions about the current state of rugby. Thirty years after his tenure as England captain, Carling points to several areas requiring improvement. He believes English rugby has yet to reach its full potential and highlights the lack of a strong relationship between the RFU and clubs, as well as a failure to adequately compensate top players. Carling criticizes the selection of Jack Willis, a Toulouse captain, for not being chosen to represent England, even though he excels in France and has been made captain there. He asserts that if he were in charge of England, he would buy Willis out of his contract, bring him back to England, and appoint him as captain. Carling also addresses the need for innovation in attracting younger audiences, expressing concern about rugby's aging demographic. He lauds Henry Pollock, a young Northampton Saints player, for his talent and character, but acknowledges that the hype surrounding him has been significant. Carling emphasizes that the success of the sport depends on the players and that he has always been focused on their well-being.",
  "summary": "Will Carling on the Willis brothers, Henry Pollock and England (Getty Images) Thirty years after he stood down as skipper of the national side, Will Carling is still outspoken about the state of the game. Thirty years after he stood down as skipper of the national side, Will Carling is still outspoken about the state of the game.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former England captain Will Carling criticizes lack of strong RFU-club relationship.",
    "If in charge, Carling would buy Jack Willis out of contract to captain England.",
    "Lauds young talent Henry Pollock but acknowledges hype surrounding him."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}