Once he wanted to be an All Black, now he wants to destroy them - Vunipola talks England vs NZ
Mako Vunipola used to dream about rampaging around in an All Black jersey causing the kind of mayhem that made Jonah Lomu his hero.
Now, the Saracens prop is aiming to inflict a significant defeat on the All Blacks in November at Twickenham and revive England’s faltering bid for World Cup glory in Japan next year.
It was billed as the clash of the World’s top two teams but the November 10 meeting at Twickenham will now see New Zealand, still the outstanding team in the sport, taking on an England side that has dropped down to No4 after five successive defeats that left head coach Eddie Jones under severe pressure.
Vunipola, who has won 51 caps and played in six Lions tests, missed England’s third test win over South Africa in June which ended that run of defeats to be present for the birth of his son Jacob. It means that the player many believe is the best loose head prop in World rugby has a personal test record that shows he has lost his last five England matches.
Although England finally ended their barren run, they still lost the series 2-1 to the Springboks who will be the first of November’s four opponents at Twickenham on November 3 followed by New Zealand, Japan and Australia. With the World Cup just over a year away, Vunipola and his England team mates have to prove that Jones’s squad has not peaked too early and can still mount a viable bid for the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan.
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Vunipola has already enjoyed two wins and draw against the All Blacks wearing the white of England the red of the British and Irish Lions. The Lions drawn series in New Zealand last summer allowed him to add another win over the All Blacks to the one he registered at Twickenham in 2012.
Having been born in Wellington, New Zealand and with a number of his extended family still it the city, any match with the All Blacks is special for Vunipola, who was inspired by Lomu’s extraordinary talents. He said: “When I was growing up I used to watch the All Blacks and be in love with them, mostly because of Jonah Lomu.”
“I always wanted to be him because he was my hero and I was born in New Zealand but that changed when I was growing up in the UK playing rugby here. It’s still weird to think back to those days when I used to cheer for the All Blacks.
“When I got to play against the All Blacks in New Zealand it showed that when you perform to the best of your ability you have a chance and while the All Blacks can seem invincible – at times they do play some great rugby and you feel under the cosh – the tour gave us real confidence.
“However, we are under no illusions because they are No1 in the World for a reason and have been there for a long time. Now it is up to us to really challenge them and England are always confident playing at Twickenham and believe in what we are doing and the direction the team is going. The November schedule of tests is great and we are not underestimating any of the teams. We will give them the respect they deserve but we are an England team that wants to fight to get up to where we belong.
“We are really excited about the matchup with New Zealand and while we wanted to have better results last season, the great thing about rugby is you get another chance to right some wrongs.”
Besides helping England’s cause, Vunipola wants to help Saracens retain their English Premiership title and become Europe’s top team again by reclaiming the Champions Cup which Leinster won so convincingly last season. While he appeared in 12 tests in as many months from June last year and was also a key figure in the Saracens team, Vunipola insists he was not running on empty by the end of the season. “The toughest bit of last season was when the club results weren’t going well and mentally it was hard to keep up all the time” added the 27-year-old.
“There was no point where I felt it was wearing me down but it is physically tough. I like to play and hate missing out on games so it is a bit of a double-edged sword.
“If the club asks me if I want to play then nine times out of ten I will say yes and when I feel I need a break then they are very good. The Champions Cup gets stronger every season and Leinster are in the lead which means everyone else has to play catch up. We want to be back up there in Europe.
“There is a lot of excitement when you look forward to all that is coming up, including the World Cup. With Saracens there is the chance to defend our Premiership title while also pushing for another Champions Cup.”
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets 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?
11 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.
11 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.
17 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 comments