'There's no such thing as untouchables': Mako Vunipola on the allegation Eddie Jones has undroppable England favourites
Mako Vunipola has claimed there are no untouchables in Eddie Jones’ England team despite criticism that the coach isn’t ruthless enough and keeps selecting a plethora of underperforming stars. There has been a clamour this year for the Australian to shake-up his misfiring England selection.
However, he has shown a huge amount of loyalty to established players and is expected to back them again on Thursday when he announces his XV to face France on Saturday in the Guinness Six Nations.
England head into that fixture having had the grip on their 2020 title loosened by February defeats to Scotland and Wales and how Jones now selects his team will be closely monitored by fans who believe there is a culture whereby poor performances by his favourite players aren’t sufficiently punished.
The 30-year-old Vunipola doesn’t go along with that accusation, though, claiming that no-one – not even under-fire England skipper Owen Farrell – takes anything for granted despite the evidence to the contrary this past month.
“No, I don’t know who these untouchables are, to be honest. I hope I’m one of them – I’m joking. No, there is no such thing as untouchables,” he said. “Obviously when you are the captain, as Owen is, there is a perception that he is untouchable but there is no such thing.
Something had to give following the concession of 41 England penalties in three February matches#SixNations #ENGvFRA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 10, 2021
“The reason that he is the captain is that he is a leader first and foremost and then the way you are picked is from the way you are on the field here in training and where you are around the park and the environment. This stuff about untouchables is not for me to comment on. We believe in what we are doing and Eddie will do what is best for the team.
“Nothing is taken for granted here. Every game is a new game and whoever Eddie feels is the best for the game he will do that. As you have seen in the past he is not afraid to make big calls. We understand that as players and the biggest thing for us is we know the belief hasn’t wavered in what we are doing. We believe in what we are doing as a squad and that what we are doing at the minute is the best for us.”
England’s penalty count will come in for much scrutiny at Twickenham as they have conceded 41 in their three matches in the tournament so far, a situation that resulted in RFU referees Wayne Barnes and Matthew Carley spending time in camp this week to try and iron out their problems.
Some England players rang Jones last week in the aftermath of the loss to Wales to address their indiscipline in Cardiff, but Vunipola wasn’t one of them although he now admits he should have been. “I actually didn’t ring him but I should have done. I should have rung him and told him that both the penalties I gave away were very silly… I should have rung him but I didn’t.
“With the extra help of Wayne Barnes coming in and Matt Carley, giving us an extra understanding of where we can learn from the game, it has been good for the group to learn from that as players but it also comes back down to individual responsibility of understanding the context of the game, where we could improve.
“Although there were a lot of penalties there wasn’t a clear trend of where the penalties were coming from. They were all pretty different penalties, which we have spoken about, and the best thing for us now is how we react. We have got a great opportunity against a good French side.”
"I haven't got those genetics…"
– Seasoned England No9 Ben Youngs sizes up the differences between himself and French hotshot Antoine Dupont #SixNations #ENGvFRA
https://t.co/b4NbXixsFa— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 10, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments