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Why Mako Vunipola's place in England squad isn't safe

By Online Editors
Mako Vunipola. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Mako Vunipola has been warned he must fight to reclaim his front-row spot as England face the first true test of the squad cohesion carefully constructed for their pursuit of the World Cup.

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Vunipola has recovered from a hamstring injury and along with wing Jack Nowell, who has trained fully after a summer spent overcoming ankle surgery, is expected to be available for next Saturday’s clash with Argentina in Tokyo.

Their return will give Eddie Jones a fully-fit 31-man squad from which to select, although Piers Francis’ citing for a dangerous tackle against the USA could reduce that number for disciplinary reasons.

A date for Francis’ hearing has yet to be set but it will take place in Tokyo where the Northampton centre is likely to be hit with a three-week suspension, potentially ending his tournament.

As the game’s foremost loosehead prop, Vunipola would be among the first names on the team-sheet but with Joe Marler and Ellis Genge having performed well against Tonga and the USA in his absence, attack coach Scott Wisemantel insists his selection is not a forgone conclusion.

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And now that all players in the squad are competing for starts in the critical Pool C games against Argentina and France, Wisemantel knows there will be a challenge to harmony within English ranks.

“This puts a test on togetherness, but togetherness is one of our themes and the players acknowledge it, they openly talk about it,” Wisemantel said.

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“It’s a team of 31. Socially they hang out and then when they’re on the field they compete and they compete hard.

“We want that competition for places so that whether they’re in the 23 or not they’re competing, they’re not just here as passengers.

“Mako gives us something with his ball carrying and energy around the park, but the way the boys are going, he’s going to find it hard to get back into the team selection-wise.

“Mako’s got to compete. If we’re going to be consistent with the team of 31 and the mantra of it, you have to fight to get back in.

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“We know what he can do. He has kudos, a proven track record but at the same time he has got to prove that he is fully fit and ready to go.

“You just don’t walk straight back into the team, you actually have to fight to get back in. It’s good and it’s healthy competition.”

Wisemantel has revealed that England have a mechanism for dealing with any conflicts when they arising, illustrating the process through the exchange of words between Elliot Daly and Henry Slade late on against Tonga.

An opening had been forced down the left but Slade’s final pass went behind Daly and each clearly blamed the other for the mistake.

“The players know the boundaries. When it’s on the field it’s game on and when it’s off it, if there’s an issue you’ve got to get it sorted and get it sorted quickly,” Wisemantel said.

“It’s that simple and the framework and the time that we’ve spent together has actually made it real because we’ve been together for a long time.

“If we’re competing and we’re competing hard and you’re not happy with what I’ve done or I’m not happy with what you’ve done, then we actually sort it out afterwards like ‘mate, don’t do that, what were you thinking?’. It’s real simple.

“There’s been a little bit. It’s good because it creates electricity. An example would be from the Tonga game.

“On the field there was a miscommunication between Henry and Elliot and then straight afterwards they sorted it. I thought it was brilliant.

“They ripped into each other, ‘I want you here, I need you here’. We’re talking wants and needs. They sorted it and they sorted it very quickly. Brilliant.”

– Press Association

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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