Billy Vunipola is back in Steve Borthwick’s good books, with the England head coach praising the recalled Saracens No 8 as “doing really well” in the opening week of training ahead of September’s Rugby World Cup, and on track to be available for the warm-up matches in August.
When Borthwick took over the England job from the sacked Eddie Jones for the Six Nations at the start of this year, he left the 68-times capped Vunipola out of the squad for the duration of the competition, amid rumours of a past bust-up between the pair.
The 30-year-old Vunipola confirmed as much recently, with an admission he had said something “the wrong way” during Borthwick’s time as England assistant coach up to and including the 2019 World Cup, while ascribing the Six Nations snub to his poor form under Jones last autumn.
But as i revealed last month, a clear-the-air conversation has led to Vunipola’s recall, initially as one of three forwards with Ollie Chessum and Luke Cowan-Dickie who are attending England’s Surrey training base while rehabbing injuries.
In Vunipola’s case, he is recovering from surgery after tearing a meniscus in April, so he has been impressing Borthwick with his boxing in the gym and general physical fitness more than any running around with a ball.
“Since the Six Nations I’ve met with him a couple of times,” Borthwick said. “He’s been an important player for England for a number of seasons and I think he has the potential to be an important player for England going forward. With any of these injured players we monitor them on a day-by-day basis. Billy is kind of ‘hold me back right now!’ So he’s doing really well.”
England’s No 8 selection has taken a twist with Exeter’s Montpellier-bound Sam Simmonds withdrawing from World Cup consideration.
“Sam talked to me about it and I respect that personal decision he has made, he spoke to me about his family and the different factors of what is ahead of him,” said Borthwick.
That means Vunipola has a fellow comeback kid, Zach Mercer of Montpellier, as a rival, together with Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt who started throughout England’s underwhelming Six Nations.
Further players will be drip-fed into England camps over the next fortnight as they come off post-season rest periods, and others to have gathered this week include Henry Arundell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Will Joseph and Tom Pearson from the London Irish club recently suspended from next season’s Premiership.
Hassell-Collins had already signed for Leicester, while Arundell, Joseph and Pearson have been linked with Bath, Harlequins and Northampton respectively.
“They’ve been very up front and honest; there’s a high level of anxiety about the situation,” Borthwick said.
“Right from Monday morning’s training they have just committed wholeheartedly to what we are trying to do.”
Borthwick was obliged to work with the remnants of Jones’s coaching staff during the Six Nations, but he now has all his own picks in place as assistants, with defence coach Kevin Sinfield joined by Richard Wigglesworth (attack, and kicking strategy), Tom Harrison (scrum) and Aled Walters (strength and conditioning).
The club season finished on 27 May with Saracens beating Sale in the Premiership final, and Borthwick spoke admiringly of the respective fly-halves Owen Farrell and George Ford, alongside Sale flanker Tom Curry and Saracens’ Max Malins, Elliot Daly and uncapped hooker Theo Dan.
Asked if he had set winning the World Cup as an explicit goal, Borthwick said: “The players know what they are aspiring to… these guys are desperate to be part of successful teams.”
England’s final squad of 33 for the World Cup will be announced on 7 August.
