England's Jack Willis has broken his silence after suffering a horror injury against Italy in the Six Nations at the weekend.
The Wasps flanker has not ruptured nor sustained ligament damage to his ACL – as first feared – but is still set for a ‘long time out'.
But head coach Lee Blackett did confirm Willis' injury is ‘pretty serious' and he will face a ‘long time out' after undergoing initial scans.
Seconds after scoring a try, Willis could be heard screaming in agony after he was rolled out of a ruck as the jackal by Italy flanker Seb Negri, twisting his knee in the process.
For Willis, it is another desperate blow after overcoming a serious knee injury he suffered in May 2018 which put him out of action for over a year.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “The highs and lows of Rugby…
“I have loved every second of training and playing in an England shirt and it has been a dream come true to be involved in such a great group of lads and coaches. I'm truly gutted with the way it ended on Saturday but these things happen.
“I will give everything I can to my rehab to come back a better and stronger player. Thank you so much for all the messages and support I've received it really is appreciated.
“I will be back.”
Integral to Wasps' run to the Premiership final last season, Willis had worked his way back into England selection and had been on the pitch for no longer the six minutes when he had managed to score a try and get injured.
“Injuries are always not a nice part of rugby but we all understand there is a chance that you can get injured,” England head coach Jones said.
“He's a good young lad and he's going to be a good player, and this is an unfortunate setback for him.”
