Billy Vunipola has a reputation as one of the most disarmingly honest players around, but even by his standards his latest admission is startling. The Saracens and England No 8 has revealed he has played for club or country “easily 10 times” while harbouring serious doubts over his fitness and believes that rugby union is “almost in NFL territory” because players hide injuries for fear of not having their contracts renewed.
“I can tell you a lot of people still have injuries and try to hide it,” says Vunipola. “We saw it with the high turnover of players being released, it’s almost like we’re into NFL territory. Not yet, but we’re getting to a stage where competition for places is really hard and you can still have players masking pain, trying to earn that extra contract. It’s something that’s always in the back of my mind.”
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At a time when World Rugby is expressing fears the international game is facing ruin and when the Premiership is seeking outside investment which would inevitably mean changes to the domestic landscape, rugby undoubtedly stands at a crossroads. Accordingly, Vunipola’s revelation is timely and the hope must be that the power brokers listen. For it was only 12 months ago that the 25-year-old warned of potential strike action because of the demands placed upon modern day players. At the time he said his “body could not handle it”; then came a season in which he underwent major knee surgery, broke his arm twice and managed only nine appearances.
To a large extent Vunipola blames himself. He says that whenever he made his comeback he tried too hard to “be a hero” and it must be said he is not pointing the finger at either Saracens or England for rushing him back too quickly. “For me the biggest thing was, do the coaches or the players think that I’m taking them for a ride?” he adds. “That’s why I never wanted to say no if I was sore – that was my mindset, no one else’s, but I’ve learned now I’ve just to be up front.”
“I should have said I would play but maybe without the pressure,” he says. “People expect you to perform to the levels you played before. That is more pressure than winning or losing. I remember I played all right in that game [against Wasps] and then the following week [in the Premiership final], I was trying to back it up and it didn’t go my way. When you are playing a lot you realise that is just how it flows but when you are out for a long time you want to make an impact and you want to be the star of the show.”
Reflecting on the first time he broke his arm against the Ospreys, Vunipola adds: “Again, if I had been smarter when I went into the tackle I would have been fine but I was trying to impact the game. I have thoughts in my head that people doubt me so I have to go the extra mile but now I’m less insecure about myself.”
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Vunipola even expresses a sense of guilt during those long injury lay-offs, going as far as turning down sponsorship appearances at Twickenham before England matches. “What was more important to me was my pride and that is not very smart,” he says. “With social media and that kind of stuff, over the last year and a half I was guilty of almost listening to it.
“I got to the stage where I wasn’t doing appearances at Twickenham because I felt embarrassed. It was like people would be: ‘Oh, this guy is living off two years of his work.’ I know no one was thinking that, but that was my mindset and that translated over to training and playing. But now I’m more than comfortable knowing that when I’m ready I’ll play, and when I’m not I’ll flag it.”
Vunipola makes his first start of the season on Saturday at Northampton, having come on as a replacement last weekend. To demonstrate a wiser approach, his right arm will be strapped, having opted against doing so previously because “I get this weird thing in my head that if I’m strapped, I’m injured”.
He adds: “I wore it once and I didn’t like it but not wearing it wasn’t the smartest decision when I came back before. I guess you learn lessons on the way in terms of recovery.”
Vunipola has done so more than most.