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The 'lovely moment' that stood out for Mark McCall when Saracens learned Billy Vunipola hadn't made the Lions
Despite all the column inches and airtime dedicated to how Saracens might suffer when it came to 2021 Lions selection, the English Championship club scored a victory last Thursday when they emerged with the biggest representation in Warren Gatland’s squad for South Africa.
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Sixteen different clubs were recognised in the squad with Mark McCall’s Londoners emerging as the team with the biggest representation in garnering five picks to four each for last season’s double winners Exeter, repeat PRO14 champions Leinster and Scarlets.
However, their joy for Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola was tempered by sadness that the names of Sean Maitland and Billy Vunipola weren’t called out in an alphabetical order backs and then forwards announcement that ultimately left the Saracens squad silent.
In that sad moment, though, coach McCall could see positivity as it highlighted to him how united a squad he has at his disposal. “We were in on a training day and we manufactured the day in such a way that when the announcement was made the players could be where they wanted to be,” he explained.
“A big bulk of the squad were in the team room watching it and a number of the players whose names could have been read out weren’t here and chose to listen to the news alone.
What counted against Sincks and Billy V…#LionsRugby #Lions2021 #Lions
https://t.co/vI6HCACORg— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 7, 2021
“They [the squad] were over the moon for the five who went. Every time a name was called out the room went mad but it was funny because they did it in alphabetical order and it so happened that Billy was the last on our list of people who could have gone.
“It went from jubilation to the opposite of that, to be honest, and everybody left the room quietly because they were so disappointed for Billy, which I thought was a lovely moment. Billy wasn’t in the room but it said a lot about how the group feel about him.”
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Having had no match last weekend, Saracens are back in tier-two action next Monday when 2,000 fans will be able to watch them host Ampthill at the StoneX Stadium. Asked how Vunipola is coping with his Lions omission in the build-up to this game, McCall added: “Billy is, as you would imagine, disappointed like a lot of players around the country.
“Everybody wants to go and Billy is one of those players who was absolutely desperate to go on that tour. It is the pinnacle and he was desperate to go. He understands these are tough choices for the coach, for Warren Gatland, and selection is subjective.
“We will support him like we always do. He’s a hugely valuable member of our squad but he has had a number of setbacks, mostly injury-related rather than selection-related down the years. This has been his safe place and he has always chucked himself into the club and the friendships that he has here, and that is what he will do I’m sure.”
Switching to the Saracens contingent that will be travelling as Lions, McCall continued: “We’re thrilled for them, it’s a huge achievement for both Owen and Mako to be on their third tour and Maro, Elliot and Jamie to be in there on their second tour. It’s absolutely brilliant for those five guys and we’re disappointed for Billy and Sean who we would have loved to have gone.
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“We’re pleased about that (level of representation) on a number of levels but mostly because some of our younger contingent, the guys who are home-grown and have come through our academy and are 19, 20, 21, 22 now, they can see a route to that position.
“At one point, Mako, Jamie and Maro, they were all in the academy and they came through in that way and for them to think that they can all achieve that if they can stay here and progress in the manner that those players did so, that is probably the most important part of it.”
"We were training in the gym and someone came up and said, 'Unlucky mate'"
– @heagneyl hears how James Haskell coped with his Lions rejection four years ago before receiving a Gatland bolt from the blue #Lions ? https://t.co/wm2Qej6GdI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 5, 2021
With the Championship campaign set to ramp up with Saracens playing twice in five days as the race shortens to next month’s promotion playoff target, McCall reiterated that the Lions will be getting players well-seasoned by their involvement in these matches.
“All those players played ten or eleven international games this season in the last four or five months. All the games that we are playing right now have got some meaning to them because we can’t afford to lose any of them and hopefully if we make it to the top two which is the plan.
“We have got some really, really, really significant matches against Ealing who are in my opinion a Premiership side and it’s hugely important games, knockout games, and in terms of them getting onto the plane having played good high level, competitive rugby, those games will help them.”
'Some of the hotels, especially the one in Dublin, Jesus Christ, honestly like, it was something else. Like there was silverware at the tables'
Witty, charming, unabashed; @Saracens prop & Durham lad @alecclarey is a breath of fresh air, w/ @heagneyl ???https://t.co/x5ePjGRcxz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments