Mako Vunipola opens up on Joe Marler's latest England absence
Mako Vunipola has given his support to fellow England prop Joe Marler who has pulled out of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations championship for family reasons, raising serious concerns over his international future. The 30-year-old Marler, who has won 72 caps, previously opted out of England’s tour to Australia in 2016 and retired from international rugby in 2018.
He then made himself available for the 2019 World Cup in Japan and opened up about his mental health struggles in his recently published autobiography. It is reported that his wife is expecting their fourth child and he issued a social media statement saying he wanted to “do right by my family” when it emerged on Monday that he was opting out of the 28-strong England squad chosen last Friday by Eddie Jones.
Vunipola understands the pressures involved. The prop has two young children while brother Billy has recently become a father for the first time. Both players are now heading into the England bubble for eight weeks.
“It’s a tough one not being able to give your all when you are player of Joe Marler’s calibre,” said England loosehead Vunipola to RugbyPass. “It would be very hard to have him come in and be thinking and battling two things. It would be very tough for him to give his best.
“That is just me speaking from my experiences and we are aware of the impact on the country with people struggling to make ends meet, being home alone and being locked up in your house. It’s difficult for their mental health.
If the players are left feeling mentally drained or physically unsafe, should the competition really be going ahead at all? ? https://t.co/NC1mXG5CpP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 26, 2021
“You don’t take being able to play for England for granted and it is a privilege in these difficult times. Going into the bubble is something you have to get your head around and you do make sacrifices to get to this level of playing for England and it’s not easy.
“The older I have got – and having a young family of my own – I completely understand because when I was younger the older guys would come into the England camp and be struggling, not physically but mentally being away from family for such a long time.
“We all understand the risks and protocols around coronavirus that have to be upheld. For me, to come back from the Autumn Nations Cup and have time to fully recover has been unbelievable.
“Having been away in a bubble and then getting time to come down and unwind after a long campaign was very beneficial in terms of my mental recovery. Having children of my own gives me a perspective, and Billy has a little boy now.
“He is having to change a little bit but in terms of him maturing – that is a work in progress! We are both lucky to have our partners and family helping out.”
An achilles injury will mean Vunipola is unavailable for the opening England game with Scotland on February 6, but the 30-year-old believes his extended rehabilitation since pulling out of the Autumn Nations Cup final with France in December has him close to being given the all-clear to play in the Six Nations.
Vunipola has not played since November 28 when England beat Wales and while Billy did play for Saracens in their recent Trailfinders Cup loss at Ealing, club colleagues Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Elliot Daly will have gone 62 days without any sort of a match by the time they take on Scotland due to Saracens’ relegation from the Gallagher Premiership.
Vunipola isn’t worried, claiming the break from his perspective has been positive. “I had an achilles issue before the France game and this is the longest time I have been out. There has been wear and tear following a calf injury which meant the achilles was taking more of a load.
Jones picked a five-strong contingent of Saracens players – Farrell, Elliot Daly, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola – in his squad of 28 England players. https://t.co/i4DcYHOp5c
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 23, 2021
“I have now been able to let the achilles calm down and I wouldn’t have been playing for England or Saracens during this recovery time. Now I’m on the brink of being back and I’m going into the bubble with England to continue the rehab.
“In terms of would I prefer to play or train? To be honest I would rather play because training is not really my cup of tea and the older I have got the more I understand what my body needs to be able to perform.
“In the last couple of years I have had to come off long injuries and then play games – I know what I need to be to help the team. No matter how tired you are you just give your all in the game.
“It has been difficult watching teams playing in the Premiership and Europe because you do want to be involved in those games, but we know the reality of the situation we are in at Saracens and fully accept it.
“The way the young guys come into England they really push us and it hits you on the training field where you are wondering how you are going to keep up with these athletes.”
The England prop has explained his latest England withdrawal. https://t.co/STEmhkQ1OM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 25, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
The Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
1 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
7 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
3 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to comments