TOM'S BIT OF ROUGH

England star Willis was toughened up for big time after 'gritty experience' as an 18-year-old in the Championship

- ADAM HATHAWAY

TOM WILLIS revealed a culture shock as a youngster set him up for life with the big beasts of Test rugby.

The Saracens back row was a boy among men when he had a taste of life in the Championship as a teenager at Wasps.

The second tier has been a proving ground for future England stars with the likes of Henry Slade and Luke CowanDickie playing for Plymouth, and Ollie Chessum doing a stint at Nottingham.

Further back in the day, Dan Cole cut his propping teeth at Bedford where Owen Farrell had a brief spell on loan.

In October 2017, Willis was collared by Lee Blackett, then an assistant coach at Wasps, and sent up to Rotherham to mix it with some proper adults who had been round the block - and the No.8 admits it was a massive lesson.