The Daily Telegraph - Sport

Vunipola: ‘I know I’m playing rubbish as only mum and dad are texting me’

Hengland No 8 makes frank admission over slump in form hsaracens man says he owes Jones a big showing in Cardiff

- By Charlie Morgan

“Rubbish”. Billy Vunipola’s assessment of his Six Nations leaves little room for interpreta­tion.

In both of England’s games, against Scotland and Italy, the 28-year-old has been replaced before the hour. Statistics never tell the entire story, but a gain of one metre from 10 carries of the ball reflects two subdued displays.

Speaking yesterday, he wondered out loud whether Eddie Jones had thought that a lesser-talented Vunipola clone had infiltrate­d the England squad. Even messages from his parents have left him sceptical.

“You know you’re playing badly when your mum and dad are the only ones texting you and they’re saying, ‘We love you and we are here to support you’.” Vunipola laughed as he made those two points. He did seem, however, serious about “showing I’m worth my place” with a sharper showing against Wales on Saturday.

“Obviously, there has been a lot of chat out there that a lot of the Saracens boys, including myself … especially myself, have been out of form,” Vunipola said. “But that isn’t down to a lack of games. I just haven’t been playing well.

“It’s been due to a lack of … I’ve just been playing rubbish. I can’t lie. I need to turn up this weekend and that is what I am planning on doing.”

England defence coach John Mitchell stressed that Vunipola was carefully monitored by opponents and absorbed “a lot of double-tackling”. Mitchell highlighte­d the Autumn Nations Cup final, particular­ly a clattering tackle on France centre Yoram Moefana, as an example of how Vunipola lifted teammates.

Despite featuring in just one preseason outing for Saracens, against Ealing Trailfinde­rs, between last December and this Six Nations tournament, the man himself did not offer excuses for his peripheral involvemen­t. Instead, he quoted the legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi. “It’s less [that I am] playing myself into form, it’s more that I just haven’t played well at all,” he said. “And I could play a hundred more games at the level I am playing at now and I’d still be rubbish.

“It’s going out there and having the courage to get to the end of what you think your limit is, in terms of how much I am running, how much I am doing for the team.

“Because at the moment, I guess because of my lack of game time, I am trying to put myself in positions where I don’t have to run as much, so that I still get the ball and have the same effect. If you are doing that, you are holding back. So it’s important that I don’t do that.

“There was a great NFL coach [Lombardi] who talked about fatigue makes a coward out of everyone and I guess I’ve been a bit of a coward the last two weeks, because I have been hiding from being fatigued.”

Watching the final quarter of Test matches from the bench is not something to which Vunipola wants to become accustomed, although he has fought through previous form slumps during a 58-cap career. He cited the 2017 Six Nations, when he was rushed back from injury to help England’s push for a second straight Grand Slam, and being dropped by Stuart Lancaster in 2014.

If there is one thing that may have “hindered his mental applicatio­n”, Vunipola believes it has been leaving behind wife Simmone and son Judah, who was born in November, for life in England’s bio-secure bubble. A trip home after the win over Italy has proved refreshing.

“It made me realise that my wife has got it on lock and I don’t need to worry about them,” he said. “Also, my little kid was almost annoyed at me. It was kind of cute. He was frustrated with me, almost saying: ‘Where have you been?’

“After that, he was back to normal. It gives you a perspectiv­e on life. He doesn’t see me as a rugby player. He sees me as his dad, the guy he throws up on after his mum’s fed him. That’s the person I am at home, but I need to be a rugby player when I am in camp. I need to be the person I know I can be.”

England drafted in Northampto­n lock Alex Moon to train on Saturday as cover for Jonny Hill but, pending Charlie Ewels completing concussion protocols, are hopeful to travel to Wales with a clean bill of health.

A motivated Vunipola should be a useful asset. “I think at the moment Eddie probably thinks someone has cloned me, and the person he thought he had in his team is at home and the person that isn’t the person he thinks I am is here,” he said. “I need to make sure that he’s got the right clone because, at the moment, he’s had the wrong one. He deserves a performanc­e off us as a group of players and I am no different. That’s something I am 100 per cent sure of.”

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