It wasn’t easy.. I wanted to play for England but doctors made the right call

EXCLUSIVE MAKO VUNIPOLA ON HIS EXCLUSION FROM EDDIE JONES’ RED ROSE CAMP OVER BUG FEARS

MAKO VUNIPOLA has opened up for the first time on the mid-season dash to Tonga which ended with him playing for Saracens instead of England.

The England prop spent a fortnight in the Pacific Islands during the Six Nations for what coach Eddie Jones described as “family reasons” and missed England’s game against Ireland.

Injured brother Billy accompanied him on the journey to say goodbye to their dying grandmother. Or so they thought.

“My grandmother had fallen quite ill and my dad was worried that it would be it. I started thinking: ‘What is most important here?’” said Vunipola.

“Family is a massive part of Tongan culture and I decided I wanted to go to see her while she was still here.

“But day by day while we were there she improved until she was able to sit up in bed. We still don’t know what the illness was.

“The family joke is that she was just making an excuse to see us!”

If her unexpected recovery sent them back to

England upbeat, there was a sting in the tail when the brothers returned.

Vunipola

(right, wearing a mask for an Instagram post) had made himself available for England’s next game against Wales but was told not to attend their training camp because medics were concerned he may have contracted the coronavirus on his way back through Hong Kong Airport. The measure cost him a 60th cap – yet he played for Saracens the same weekend.

“The doctors at Saracens gave me the test and kept checking all week so they decided that I could play for them,” he said.

“Looking back now, it was the right call for England and for everyone. I understand completely. In any case the boys had played that well against Ireland that it would have been very difficult for me to have pushed myself back in.”

A stop-start season for

Vunipola has now come to a complete halt because of the coronavirus lockdown.

He has plenty to occupy him with partner Alex due to give birth to their second child later this month to join 20month Jacob.

In the coming weeks he will make a definitive decision on his club future. He has been linked with a move to Super Rugby with Saracens relegated but dismisses the possibility.

“For me at the moment Super Rugby would be very difficult with all the travel for the family,” he said.

“It’s something I may be interested in much, much later.”