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'I'm biased... but Billy has been outstanding for Saracens'
Mako Vunipola has hailed the efforts of his younger brother Billy to impress this season at Saracens and remind Eddie Jones that he still has what it takes to be a viable option for England. Having played in the deflating, campaign-ending March 2021 loss to Ireland in Dublin, both Vunipola brothers were axed from the England set-up at the start of the 2021/22 season and it was only last month when loosehead Mako was invited back to training for the first time since that exclusion.
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There was no call for Billy to return, though, despite his huge influence on the push by Saracens to get through to this Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final versus Leicester at Twickenham. Not since he was at Wasps in the 2012/13 season prior to his move to Sarries had the 29-year-old played 20 or more matches in a single Premiership campaign.
His appearances in the top-flight over the years totalled 13, 16, 10, 13, 8, 11 and 9 per season, while there were just eight runs for him in last season’s truncated Championship. However, with no international rugby to eat into his time in 2021/22, Vunipola has started in 22 of Saracens’ 25 league matches and his 23rd appearance will now come in Saturday’s final where he will seek to win his fifth Premiership title.
In playing so much rugby he has clocked up a whopping 1,638 minutes and scored four tries, equalling his previous best strike rate from the 2014/15 campaign. However, all that activity hasn’t been enough yet to convince Jones to hand him an England call-up, something that his 31-year-old brother Mako feels his efforts deserve.
“These are the decisions that are out of my hands,” said the front row Vunipola about his back row brother who has seen Alex Dombrandt, Sam Simmonds and even flanker Tom Curry wearing the England No8 jersey in recent times. “All I can say is that the way he has played this year has been massive for us as a team.
“There have been some games this season where we needed a kick start and he has been the one to do that. At the weekend he got run over by (Andre) Esterhuizen but apart from that he did well – but he got sin binned for that. As I said, whenever the team needs go-forward, he has put his hand up for that and he has mixed up his game as well with the ability to offload and pass.
“Defensively, people see the big shots but the work and the ability to get back has gone up a notch. I am biased, this is coming from me as his brother, but what I can say is that he has been outstanding for Saracens.”
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Do the Vunipola brothers talk much with each other about their respective England fortunes and how they are performing for Saracens? “I talk to him now and then but Billy doesn’t need too much from me. We don’t really talk that much, to be honest, but when we do talk it’s a how are you type of thing.
“The key for us is to make sure we focus on the present, what is in front of us in terms of playing well for Saracens, which I feel he has done and that is all he can do. That is all you can control. For him, his wife and his little boy have been massive. I mentioned in the past how when you become a parent there is perspective to everything. Everyone understands there is more to life than rugby.
“But as rugby players, we are emotional, we want to be playing, we still want to be playing for England. To do that hasn’t changed. We have still got to play well for our club and do our job there and then you go from there really. Those decisions aren’t in our hands.
“I feel like he has done that [played well to get a recall]. I am a bit biased, obviously, but for us (at Saracens) this year he has been massive, just giving us that go-forward that we need. Whenever there is a need for us to get a bit of a kick up the bum, he is there most of the time to do it.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments