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Vunipola reacts to Saracens' shock Championship loss and whether contract has 'no promotion' clauses

(Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)

Mako Vunipola has given his reaction to last Saturday’s shock debut defeat for Saracens in the Championship, adding that he is not sure if his contract contains any clauses about what might happen in the event of the London club not securing promotion back to the Gallagher Premiership for 2021/22.

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The 2019 Premiership and Heineken Cup champions were ambushed 25-17 at Cornish Pirates in their maiden second-tier outing following their automatic relegation from the top-flight due to repeated salary cap breaches.

None of the England Guinness Six Nations players were available for last weekend’s club match but Saracens still didn’t travel lightly to Cornwall as they fielded a team containing seven internationals sharing 165 Test caps between them – including winger Sean Maitland, who featured in Scotland’s win last month at Twickenham, and prop Vincent Koch, a veteran of the 2019 Springboks World Cup-winning side. 

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Finn Russell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

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Saracens are still expected to win promotion back to the Premiership as their England internationals – the Vunipola brothers, Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly – will be available later in the campaign but the speculation prompted by last weekend’s opening loss was whether contracts for the leading players contain clauses that would be triggered by that expected promotion not being realised. It was last July when Vunipola signed his contract extension at the club.

“As a Sarries player it was a shock with the result but you just feel more for the players,” said loosehead Vunipola. “You are gutted for them and it is tough but when you are in this (with England) it is very hard to split your time and focus. 

“Being away with England you try and focus on that. In terms of having a clause, I wouldn’t know. I still feel like I want to go back and fight for Saracens. Like I said, I’d need to look into the contract stuff to be 100 per cent on that. Right now in this present moment, it’s very difficult to focus on two things at once. We have got a lot of work to do here at England and that takes up a lot of time but I do speak to some of the boys, see how they are and how things are going.”

Much of the debate at the start of the Six Nations was about how England’s Saracens contingent had no matches over the winter unlike players from the Premiership clubs. In between the Autumn Nations Cup final on December 6 and the Six Nations opener on February 6, Billy Vunipola was the only Saracens player to have any action, appearing in a Trailfinders Cup loss to Ealing.

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Mako Vunipola, meanwhile, was still managing the achilles injury that meant he was an eleventh-hour cry-off for the Nations final with the French. The accusation post-Scotland was that the Saracens players looked rusty but prop Vunipola – who made his return in the round two game versus Italy – now feels they are much better conditioned and lack of games isn’t an issue. 

“You always feel like you need a few games to get back into it but I never felt that I needed that at the start. Personally, if called upon, I can do my role for the team and if we were undercooked then who is to say that we were going to get picked. 

“The only person that decides whether we are undercooked or not ready for it is Eddie (Jones) and that is the person we listen to. As players, we are experienced enough to know our bodies, what is needed to be right to play. If we were undercooked, the only person that needs to make that call is Eddie. He is the boss and he makes that call but for us, it’s being ready to do our job for the team.” 

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J
JPM 36 minutes 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 39 minutes 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

10 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
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