VUNIPOLA VOWS TO FIGHT FOR ENGLAND FUTURE

MAKO Vunipola joined up with Eddie Jones’s England for the first time in more than a year yesterday and had a message for his doubters. He is not done yet. Far from it, in fact. ‘I want to play at the World Cup and I haven’t shied away from that,’ said the 31-year-old Saracens prop. ‘I enjoyed the last World Cup. Obviously we fell short, but it was one of the best campaigns I’ve been a part of with England. I want to do that again, but I also want to win the World Cup.’ A Test regular since his 2012 debut, Vunipola found himself jettisoned by Jones last autumn when he was dropped for the November Tests. He was also left out of this year’s Six Nations. Jones questioned whether some of his senior men — those who had been among his most trusted lieutenants — had the drive to make the next World Cup in France in 2023. Despite playing in all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in South Africa last summer, Vunipola was among the victims. His brother Billy was also a high-profile casualty. But after recovering from an ankle injury and stringing together a run of games for Saracens, the older of the two Vunipolas is now back in head coach Jones’s party and determined to make up for lost time. ‘You always have a point to prove,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think my time was gone. At my age you can’t take it for granted. As a player your ambition is to always play at the highest level and that’s playing for England. I’ve never hid away from the fact I want to play for England.

‘That’s why I wanted to stay at Saracens — one because I love the club and two because I want to put my hand up for selection constantly for England. ‘For me to play for England, I have to play in England and I’m not ready to hang my boots up yet. I’m ready to fight for my position. ‘The focus is on playing well for Saracens and working on what the coaches have wanted me to work on, which they’ve been clear and honest about. ‘It’s up to me to get out there and put my best foot forward — that’s all I can do.’