Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Billy is a little different, always has been'

(Photo by Dan Mullan/The RFU Collection via Getty Images )

Saracens boss Mark McCall has explained why Billy Vunipola will be the only one of the club’s England players who will squeeze some Trailfinders Cup game time in between the end of the Autumn Nations Cup and the start of the Six Nations. 

ADVERTISEMENT

England had Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, Elliott Daly, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola involved in the campaign that culminated in the December 6 extra-time Autumn Nations Cup final win over France at Twickenham. 

However, rather than play for Saracens on either of the coming two Saturdays in the Trailfinders Cup against Ealing or Doncaster, Itoje, Farrell, Daly, George and Mako Vunipola will have had a nine-week break in between games when England open their 2021 Six Nations campaign at home to Scotland on February 6. 

Video Spacer

Referee JP Doyle joins Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson on RugbyPass Offload

Video Spacer

Referee JP Doyle joins Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson on RugbyPass Offload

Saracens are this weekend missing eight players who were suspended for breaching the Barbarians’ Covid bubble ahead of their cancelled late October game versus England, opening up the temptation for club director of rugby McCall to give his Eddie Jones’ contingent a hit-out to shake off the winter cobwebs. However, only Billy Vunipola will be involved for Saracens at Vallis Way.    

“In terms of the English internationals, basically all of them are on an individualised pre-season programme to help prepare them for the Six Nations,” said McCall. “In Billy’s case, we all agreed that he is best served playing some game time as part of that individualised pre-season programme. He gets a lot out of playing, so that is why he is playing. 

“It’s unlikely,” added McCall when asked if other Test players might be considered for the round two trip to Doncaster next weekend before they head into England camp at St George’s Park on January 25. “Like I said, they are all on pre-season individual programmes to hit the ground running when it comes to the Scotland match and I don’t think there is a great need for most of them to play game time. Billy is a little different, always has been.”

While England, who name their Six Nations squad on January 22, will retain only a 28-player squad for the Guinness Six Nations to reduce movement in and out of their team environment, McCall will be busy with his roster in the hope that a three-pronged approach to life in the Championship will pay handsome dividends across his squad.  

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s so important (to be back playing),” he said at the end of a layoff that stretches back to October 4 when Saracens last played in the Premiership before their automatic relegation. That break included the confirmation on Friday that assistant Alex Sanderson had left to become Sale director of rugby, with Joe Shaw becoming Saracens head coach and Adam Powell their new defence coach.

“When we looked back to when everything happened, we looked at our squad in different categories. You had a bunch of players who were just below international level who couldn’t really afford to play in the Championship and needed to play at the highest possible level and we loaned those players out. For the most part, their experiences are going really well and we’re looking forward to welcoming them back in the summer. Max Malins, Ben Earl, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Lozowski and Nick Tompkins.

“Then we had the international players. We had various plans. Some of those plans haven’t materialised because of the (pandemic) situation everyone is in but what was central to their year was a quieter season. To freshen up mentally and physically and that is definitely going to happen. 

“And then we had the other group, younger, more inexperienced players. We wanted to put some time into them but we haven’t had games. The next part of the equation is for them to get as much game time and to accelerate their development as well as we can.”

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JPM 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 1 hour ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

12 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Raffaele Storti: The Portuguese 'arrow' poised to carve up Murrayfield Raffaele Storti: The Portuguese 'arrow' poised to carve up Murrayfield
Search