If there was any doubt as to whether Billy Vunipola’s luck with injuries has been out for the past 18 months, his explanation of an aggravated hamstring injury should end all debate.
Eddie Jones is not yet convinced Vunipola is ready for the first Test against South Africa on 9 June but the player is, as long as he sticks to rugby.
Springboks rejuvenated before England tour after Rassie Erasmus shake-up
It is a hamstring injury that concerns Jones, and Vunipola has been sparingly managed by Saracens in the closing parts of the season because of it. What Jones has been unaware of is that his first-choice No 8, probably his best player when at full throttle, suffered a relapse just before Saracens’ Premiership semi-final win over Wasps when innocuously trying his hand, or should that be foot, at Aussie rules.
“It was my fault, I was doing some AFL kicking and then hammy went tight before the game,” Vunipola says. “I didn’t tell the coaches that but when I came off at half-time against Wasps I told them. I was like: ‘Sorry guys, I was doing AFL kicking.’ I stitched myself up there. Then we had to manage it a bit better [before the Premiership final], I had to manage myself a bit better the week after.
“I felt I was back to normal and when I feel I’m back to normal I forget I was injured and that’s probably why I get injured all the time. I’m supposed to strap my arm up but I hate wearing strapping so I just don’t use it. I get this weird thing in my head that if I’m strapped, I’m injured. So I try not to – if I’m playing, I’m playing and if I’m injured, I’m injured.”
Vunipola’s last England appearance came at the end of the 2017 Six Nations but Jones has since admitted it was a “bad gamble” to throw him in against Ireland after he had just returned from another injury. It would explain the coach’s caution but Vunipola is confident he will be ready to face the Springboks in Johannesburg .
“I will be fine,” he adds. “It is just managing what I am doing and my hamstring is fine. 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.”
There can be little doubt that Jones is desperate to have a fit and firing Vunipola in South Africa. As the defeats clocked up during the Six Nations, his absence only enhanced his status as Jones’s best player – even if his brother and a couple of Saracens team-mates may have something to say about that. He insists he does not bring too much expectation but he is in no doubt as to the role he is required to perform.
“I have to prove myself but I have to do that every time I play and the biggest way we can do that is standing up to this physical South African team,” he says. “They’ve got Bismarck du Plessis back, if that’s not an indication of what they’re going to try to do then I don’t know what is. Duane Vermeulen is back, Kolisi is their skipper – he’s not exactly small. Their second-rows are built like oak trees so we’ve got to go out there and fly into it.
“We’ve just got to fight for everything. It’s exciting because it’s quite simple, obviously we want to play heads-up rugby but when we’re in defence we’ve got to fight, scrap for everything and just annoy them. For me the challenge is: ‘Are we up for this, or not?’”
Jones’s new attack coach charged with increasing England’s try count
Vunipola is building up a head of steam. The physical battle that awaits against the Springboks clearly excites someone who has not played for England for so long. Shoulder, knee and, of course, hamstring injuries have followed since that defeat by Ireland in Dublin and Vunipola has clearly missed confrontation on the international stage.
“It’s basically what I think the sport is created for and then the All Blacks came in and started playing really good rugby and everyone changed,” he says. “Hopefully it’s going to be old school, just whose dad is bigger than whose dad. That’s the challenge we’ve got ahead of us, we’ve got to embrace it or we’ll be on the losing side.
“We get there, we’re in South Africa, rugby is by far the biggest sport there. We’ve just got to scrap for everything. If we’re annoying or making them frustrated that’s probably the best sign of how up for it we are. It means we’re in their faces, otherwise they will just bully us off the park. That’s what they used to do really well and obviously with a new coach coming in they’ll just go back to how they used to beat other teams – run over them, beat them up. Using their big, physical pack to wear you down. We’ve got to try to stand up to that.”