He’s back, as powerful and influential as ever, and more than that, as outrageously unconventional. No sooner had Billy Vunipola shone in a 72-minute showing for Saracens against Newcastle, which you sensed could easily have gone the full 80, than he was belittling the more uncomfortable practices of medical science and placing his faith in God. Then, inevitably, he was being called up by Eddie Jones to the England squad.
Three and a half months on the sidelines can take its toll but he and his brother, Mako, have come through their respective injuries ahead of schedule. “I think the biggest thing was our faith,” he said. “We knew we had to take this as a blessing. I had three months where I had the time of my life. I had some good fun and socialised a lot – now I just have to tone it down a bit.”
Not for him the rigours of the cryochamber. “I don’t really believe in that stuff. I think I went in once, maybe twice. Because I had to. I just tried to steer clear. Every time they told me to go in, I took my clothes off, put the kit on, stood around for a bit and pretended that I’d been in. Then I changed and went home.”
Whatever the science or otherwise behind his method, the end result has pleased Jones enough to welcome him straight back. As a first outing since November, this was more than encouraging. Plenty of heavy-duty carrying, plenty of delicate touches and a willingness to put head down in ruck and maul.
Is he ready to start for England on Saturday? The geeks with their GPS gizmos will be better informed to make that decision but in a lively, entertaining game, albeit some way short of the likely intensity against Scotland next weekend, he looked in good shape, an impression reinforced afterwards, when he looked almost svelte up close in the interview room.
Actually, it was Mako who seemed the less match fit. Neither Vunipola could help a Saracens set‑piece that suffered more than a few uncomfortable moments throughout, and Mako endured running repairs to a knock to his knee in the first half, and then repeatedly to a troublesome contact lens, often the resort of a man out of breath. Both men looked comfortable with the ball in hand, and Billy in particular made contributions throughout.
Saracens managed to keep Newcastle at arm’s length. It might be mischievous to read anything into it, but only after the Vunipolas had left did Newcastle find much joy, coming close to snatching a couple of bonus points at the death. But they were too ragged and Saracens, for whom Richard Wigglesworth was imperious, too ruthless ever to threaten the win.
Billy warmed up with a punchy carry, and Mako followed suit with a little rumble of his own, but their first involvement in points-scoring was to be in the Saracens scrum that got stuffed in the first set-piece of the game – 3-0 to Newcastle in the third minute. Unperturbed, they combined for the first try in a rather more positive, albeit unexpected, manner.
Billy stood in at fly-half off a turnover to send a lovely cut-out pass to his brother, who dropped the ball on to his foot as if born to play in midfield. It bounced to the corner, where Sinoti Sinoti tied himself in knots under pressure from Chris Ashton. Somehow he secured the ball, but Sonatane Takulua fumbled it at the ruck and by the time he had recovered Michael Rhodes was on hand to intercept his pass for the try.
Newcastle sustained a passage of pressure midway through the first half, from which they twice had opportunities to kick themselves into the lead with a penalty, but each time they went for the corner. They could not make them tell and, this being Saracens, were duly punished. An Alex Lozowski penalty and converted try in the last 10 minutes of the half earned the visitors an 18-6 half-time lead that was never threatened again.
They extended that lead with a third try. Vunipola B sparked it with a ferocious carry into Mark Wilson and Will Welch, then from a Sean Maitland break Brad Barritt went blind to put Ashton over in the corner. Newcastle struck back swiftly with a fine try themselves. Sinoti tore through the midfield, the excellent Juan Pablo Socino half-broke past Vunipola M, and Dom Waldouck cut across him to the line.
Any Newcastle hope was extinguished, though, when Lozowski intercepted Joel Hodgson’s pass for the bonus-point try. Saracens struck again a few minutes later. Barritt scythed through to set up Nathan Earle and a 22-point lead, before Falcons opened up in the last five minutes with tries from Niki Goneva and David Wilson.
The Vunipolas had gone by then, but they had left their mark, Billy in particular. One of his most illustrious predecessors was suitably impressed. “He is incredibly strong and on his day the best in the world,” the Newcastle director of rugby, Dean Richards, said. “No one in world rugby can touch him.”
England will hope normal service is resumed on Saturday.
Newcastle Tait; Goneva, Waldouck (Harries 66), Socino, Sinoti; Hodgson (Delany 68), Takulua (Egerton 75); Vickers (Harris 68), Cooper (Lawson 54), Welsh (D Wilson 75), Green, Olmstead (Chick 69), M Wilson, Welch (capt), Latu (Hogg 54).
Tries Waldouck, Goneva, D Wilson. Cons Takulua, Delany 2. Pens Takulua 2.
Saracens Taylor (Earle 29); Ashton, Bosch, Barritt (capt), Maitland (Malins 74); Lozowksi, Wigglesworth (Spencer 70); M Vunipola (Lamositele 70), Brits (Saunders 72), Figallo (Du Plessis 70), Rhodes, Hamilton, Wray, Conlon (Brown 63), B Vunipola (Flanagan 72).
Tries Rhodes, Lozowski 2, Ashton, Earle. Cons Lozowski 2. Pens Lozowski 2.
Referee C Maxwell-Keys (RFU). Attendance 7,899.
