Billy Vunipola still battling to win over sceptical Montpellier team-mates

Billy Vunipola might have won 73 England caps, but he admits that he had to prove to a sceptical Montpellier dressing room that he wasn’t just another mercenary who had moved to the Septeo Stadium for a quick payday.

Vunipola, 33, played nearly 200 times for Saracens, winning three Investec Champions Cups and four Premiership titles, and is now 80 minutes away from adding a Challenge Cup to his haul with Ulster the only thing standing in his way in Bilbao on Friday night.

And even if he ends up with a winner’s medal around his neck, he knows the battle to prove himself will continue next week, but it’s something that he is at peace with.

“I had the same mindset when I joined Montpelier as I did when I joined Saracens because I had to prove myself to every single person in the changing rooms that I wasn’t here for a pay cheque.

“I wasn’t here to pack up my bags and enjoy the last few years of my career. Obviously, I’ve extended now, but I always knew that no matter what I could say to them, the only way I could prove to them that I was here for the right reasons, was to show them.

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“When I joined Saracens, it kind of was the same noises, because I left Wasps to go to Saracens. And I had to knuckle down and prove to them that I was there for rugby, and it’s been the same here.

“Especially in the change rooms, I win a lot of people over through my work. It wasn’t just for the first pre-season. It’s still running now, like each and every day; I know that I’ve got to turn up and be consistent and prove to them I’m here to play rugby. And hopefully I’ve done it.

“When I first came here, I wasn’t where I wanted to be. We just lost to Northampton in the semi-final. I was in and out of the team. I didn’t have a great World Cup.

“And there were those doubts in my mind, and I had to prove to myself that I can still do this. And it was great to have a challenge where I was almost the new kid at school. And it’s been awesome, and you know, I can still jam at 33,” he said.

Vunipola points out that extending Ulster’s 20-year wait for a major trophy will show the giant strides they have made over the last year when they finished ninth in the Top 14 after battling relegation for much of the season.

“Winning this weekend would validate a lot of the decisions that they made last year to employ a more localised or younger group of coaches. Especially coaches who came through the system or had recently retired from playing with Montpellier.

“But also, I think they’ve won this competition before in 2016 and 2021. And after the second time, they won the Bouclier de Brennus, and then after that, they kind of fell off a cliff, for lack of a better phrase.

“I think we want to win this weekend, but also we want to be more consistent moving forward, be in the top six more consistently, and that’s the only way we’re going to grow this team.

“Winning a trophy can also pull you back because maybe you think you’ve arrived. You know, you get comfortable. You forget to do all the things that got you to the final.

“It’s important that we play towards the best of our ability this weekend, but then after it, it doesn’t stop. You know, we need to keep moving forward,” he adds.