Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

What Mako Vunipola thinks of potentially facing teammate he is 'so close' to at Saracens

By Chris Jones
Mako Vunipola

Mako Vunipola is hoping to face Saracens teammate Vincent Koch in the British and Irish Lions test series with South Africa this summer, but first the two world-class props have to join forces to ensure the club’s promotion back to the Gallagher Premiership.

ADVERTISEMENT

Vunipola has seen Koch learn to deal with different problems posed by Championship front rows and the World Cup winning prop was forced to restore his reputation after a mauling up front by Cornish Pirates as the former European champions lost their opening fixture. Vunipola said: “To play against Vinny in a Lions test series would be very special because we are so close. Hopefully we will get that opportunity and Vinny for us has got better every game and I cannot see why he wouldn’t be involved with the Springboks. When he is playing his best rugby, scrummaging as well as he can, for me he is up there as one of the best tightheads in the world.

“This Lions tour will be different from four years ago because I now have kids. While finishing the season strongly with Saracens is the priority I do think about the Lions tour and I am really excited to crack on and enjoy the experience. “

Video Spacer

The Spirit of Rugby – Ep3

Video Spacer

The Spirit of Rugby – Ep3

Saracens must rely on the Championship match panel to decide if they are awarded a bonus-point win that also gives them the 12 points needed to finish above Ealing Trailfinders after their final league game was postponed due to Hartpury being affected by positive covid tests. Saracens and Ealing will meet in a two-leg play-off to decide who moves up to the Premiership next season.

Vunipola said: “Our goal is to finish top of the Championship and as competitors, you want to be top of the log. The play-offs are against Ealing Trailfinders who beat us twice in pre-season matches and although we beat them in the league the score flattered us. “

Vunipola has been praised by All Black Jerome Kaino as his toughest opponent in test rugby describing the loose prop as like a “brick”. Vunipola said: “When you get the respect of your peers it is very flattering. There have been many tough players I have faced but Jerome would be right up there and you respect the ones who just keep coming not matter how hard you hit them.

“As a player, I have a lot of belief in myself and there have been ups and downs but I have every confidence in my ability and even though we are not in the Premiership we are playing against big boys up front in the Championship. That is why when it comes to the summer I will be able to help the boys. I have spoken to Robin McBryde ( Lions forward coach) and previously I had met him socially when we were living in Wales and he was playing with one of my uncles Salesi Finau at Llanelli.”

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Dean Richards set for return to rugby management Dean Richards set for return to rugby management
Search