McCall issues Itoje update and tips Saracens trio for England recall
Saracens boss Mark McCall says he will be “amazed” if a trio of his star players are overlooked by England head coach Eddie Jones for a second time this season.
Jamie George, Mako Vunipola and Billy Vunipola were left out of Jones’ training squad last month.
Jones names his group for the Autumn Nations Series on Monday – England face appointments with Tonga, Australia and South Africa – and it will come on the back of Saracens routing Gallagher Premiership opponents Bath 71-17.
Hooker George scored two of Saracens’ 10 tries, while the Vunipola brothers were also prominent in a ruthless dismantling of the west country club.
Their England colleague Maro Itoje, meanwhile, was on the scoresheet as he made his first Premiership start since October last year, although he went off early in the second half after taking a blow to his shoulder as Jones watched from the Recreation Ground stands.
On Itoje, McCall said: “I am not sure if Maro is a shoulder or a pec. We are just trying to find out how serious it is.”
Bath’s England wing Anthony Watson also exited early, and Bath rugby director Stuart Hooper said: “It’s definitely his knee, but I don’t think it is too bad. I think he is all right.”
Saracens racked up a remarkable 45 points in the first half through George’s double, another two from wing Max Malins and one each by Itoje and flanker Ben Earl.
Substitute prop Eroni Mawi added a seventh Saracens try, Malins completed his hat-trick and Rotimi Segun and Dom Morris also scored, while skipper Owen Farrell booted eight conversions and a penalty for a 19-point haul and Alex Goode kicked a late conversion.
'It is certainly not a time I look back on fondly'
After a 6-day retirement in May 2020, Tim Swinson is now in his 2nd season at @Saracens He talks to @heagneyl ??? about a year that has seen the Scot go from Barbarians villain to resurgent secondrow forcehttps://t.co/3aA0EgBRmQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2021
Full-back Tom de Glanville, back-row forward Tom Ellis and wing Will Muir claimed Bath consolation scores, and Danny Cipriani added one conversion, but it was a horrible afternoon for the west country club.
Asked would he be surprised if the trio did not make the squad, McCall added: “Amazed. Everybody would be with the way they played today.
“If Eddie wanted to see if they had the motivation and desire to still play for England, then they showed that today. I thought Owen (Farrell) was brilliant today as well.
“I thought Billy was unreal. Mako as well. The two of them were to the fore in the defensive sets.
“There is a new squad tomorrow, and I expect to have a lot more players back in it. They deserve to be there after the way they played today.
Something in the water? ?https://t.co/zfgfw0HkJl
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2021
“It was how physical, confrontational we were, dominating the gain-line. We’ve got players who can make things happen.”
It was the most points Bath have conceded in a Premiership game, and a fourth successive defeat represents their worst start to a league season for 20 years.
Hooper said: “It’s as bad as it gets, what we’ve seen there today, and our responsibility is to stand up and be counted.
“It is too easy to turn your back and have a conversation in the corridor. Let’s front it up.
“It’s gone really badly today. That pain we feel right now, we need to feel it. I don’t believe you can just forget about it.
Saracens put Bath to the sword at The Rec but Eddie Jones and England face an anxious wait over the fitness of two Lions. #BATvSARhttps://t.co/ummR2EwMyI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2021
“My motivation for this job has always been the same, and it’s about this great club, supporters and the players.
“There will be questions from everywhere about me, my players and my staff, but the important thing is we keep looking each other in the eye and feel this pain together, then move on.
“Saracens are a quality team. They were absolutely red-hot today, and they steamrollered us. They were hot today, and we were spectacularly poor.
“Nobody woke up this morning and wanted to see that or deliver that. It’s a tough situation, and it hurts. Professional sport at times is amazing, and at times it’s brutal.”
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