NO MORE AUSSIE FOOLS FOR BILLY
How messing about with an AFL ball almost put Vunipola out of Bok tour
BILLY VUNIPOLA’S summer dream was nearly derailed by an Australian rules football but the big No.8 insists he will be fit and firing to face the Springboks next Saturday.
Vunipola jets off today as Eddie Jones’ side seek to become the first England team to win a series on South African soil.
He did not train all week before Saracens’ Premiership final win over Exeter last Saturday because of a hamstring worry, got through an hour of that game and has not gone full steam ahead with England this week.
He aggravated the injury by fooling around in training using an Aussie rules ball – generally heavier than a rugby ball – and kicking style, then pulling the wool over his club coaches’ eyes.
But the Brisbane-born 25-year-old will be ready for the showdown at Ellis Park a week today. He said: “I’ll be fine. They’re just managing my load.
“Because I went from not training last week to playing it would be quite a drastic move if I went from not training all week to full training. After this week I’ll be back to full fitness. It was my fault, I was doing some AFL kicking and my hammy went tight.
“I didn’t tell the coaches that, but when I came off at half-time in the semi-final against Wasps I told them, ‘Sorry guys, I was doing AFL kicking’. I stitched myself up there.
“Then we had to manage it a bit better. Now I feel strong again, I had a really good start to the week. Hopefully, next week I’ll train fully and I’ll be fine.” Vunipola was a mainstay of the England side that won a Grand Slam in 2016 (left) and thumped Australia 3-0 on their way to an 18-match winning streak.
But shoulder, knee and arm injuries, plus a dodgy hamstring have kept him out of Test action since March last year. England have been derailed in Vunipola’s absence, finishing the Six Nations in fifth.
But he reckons that could be a blessing: “It’s probably a good thing we’ve gone through this tough period because it gives us things we can work on and a starting point now to move forward.
“We’re almost trying to prove ourselves again, which is probably a better motivator.”