Knockout Bill
COMEBACK KID VUNIPOLA IS READY TO DO A ‘TYSON’ ON IRELAND EVERYONE HAS A PLAN UNTIL THEY GET PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH
BILLY VUNIPOLA aims to take Mike Tyson’s advice by delivering a knockout blow to Ireland’s Six Nations defence.
England had a day to forget on Vunipola’s last visit to Dublin, followed by a night he cannot remember.
Two years on he is still embarrassed by pictures of him stumbling out of a nightclub the worse for wear.
But he is also sore that England’s hopes of adding a Grand Slam to the title they had already won came to grief at the hands of their hosts.
“What do I remember? Erm, good question,” he said, at England’s training camp in Portugal.
“I don’t have any memory… all I know is that I am not getting in that state ever again! It wasn’t a great time for myself.”
Vunipola has not played in the Six Nations since Dublin 2017 due to a catalogue of injuries including three arm breaks.
But he returns to the Aviva Stadium intent on setting the brutally-physical tone demanded by coach Eddie Jones.
He said: “Whenever you play a good team, the first test you come up against is the physicality. Ireland can plan all they want but if we hit them and we shock them, that will put us in a good position.
“You know that quote from Mike Tyson (below), ‘Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth!’
“It is tough for me to speak about physicality, though. . . the last two times I tried I broke my arm!”
Since a third break in the space of 10 months, the No.8 has been on a diet of milk to help strengthen his bones.
His message to teammates is equally sobering as they look to rebound from England’s worst-ever Six Nations performance a year ago.
Vunipola said: “Winning in Ireland is a daunting task. And one of the biggest jobs we have this week is fighting them in that mental battle.
“They want to wear you down and get a positive on the pitch and have their fans climb on top of you and make you think a mistake is worse than it is. That is part of why the Six Nations is so good – everyone is so patriotic.” Ireland coach Joe Schmidt knows his side Ireland must stop Vunipola if they are to thwart England. “He’s a real handful, such a powerful man,” said World Rugby’s coach of the year. “The last time we played at the Aviva he got on a ball and there was no shifting him.
“That power is something England may well bring and it’s something that is going to be really hard for us to contain.”
Meanwhile, Ireland skipper Rory Best has no problem with weight of expectation as the Grand Slam defence beings.
He said: “We went into last year feeling we’d a squad capable of winning it. Just because it’s been shouted out a little louder from external sources this time doesn’t change what we expect from each other. We expect to win.”