Billy Vunipola has forced his way into England’s planning for the World Cup as Steve Borthwick revealed the Saracens number eight is eager to seize his opportunity.
Vunipola was overlooked entirely for Borthwick’s maiden Six Nations as head coach but on Monday he was selected in the first training squad of the summer as preparations begin for France 2023.
And while the powerful back row is still recovering from the surgery needed to repair knee damage sustained against La Rochelle in April, he is expected to be available in time for the four warm-up Tests in August.
Alex Dombrandt filled the number eight jersey for the Six Nations but Vunipola brings with him 68 caps as well as a unique ball-carrying threat.
“Billy tells me he’s just about ready to go now. He said ‘hold me back right now!’ He’s doing really well,” Borthwick said.
“I’ve been impressed by not only how hard he’s working when he’s training and rehabbing, but everything he’s doing away from that as well.
“He’s certainly part of our plans as we go forward and I’m looking forward to the point when Billy is back on the grass.”
Vunipola was a shock omission from Borthwick’s first squad in the wake of replacing Eddie Jones amid speculation that the two were not on talking terms because of a fall out during the 2019 World Cup.
“Billy and I met in January and we spoke over the phone in January. In the Six Nations we spoke a couple of times. 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 he has the potential to be an important player for England going forward.”
A surprise absentee from the 28-players who assembled at the squad’s Surrey training base on Monday was Sam Simmonds, the rampaging Montpellier-bound back row who was expected to provide competition for Dombrandt, Vunipola and Zach Mercer.
But during discussions with Borthwick, Simmonds made it clear he would not be available for the World Cup for reasons that have not been made public.
“Sam talked to me about the discussions he had with this family and what he was doing and I respect that,” Borthwick said.
“He spoke about personal circumstances, a personal situation, and then how he thought and come to this decision.
“Every player is within their rights to make the best decisions for their circumstances.”
While Simmonds leaves these shores for the Top 14, Mercer travels in the opposite direction after a successful two-year spell at Montpellier ends with his move to Gloucester.
The 25-year-old excelled in the French league and could add to his two caps this summer.
“Zach’s point of difference quite clearly is the way he finds space and carries through big defenders,” Borthwick said.
“We’re all the sum of our experiences and Zach’s gone and played in France and he’s developed and learned from that.
“He’s more experienced, has played with different players and took on leadership responsibilities at Montpellier as well. I sense a guy who has grown.”
Borthwick revealed that he has spoken regularly to Henry Arundell, Tom Pearson and Will Joseph as the London Irish trio search for new clubs in the wake of the Exiles’ financial collapse.
“It’s certainly been a challenging time for them and they’ve been very up front and honest. There’s a high level of anxiety about the situation,” Borthwick said.
“When I saw them on Sunday, I listened to players that were thrilled to be in camp and looking forward to what is ahead of them.”
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
England 'banging on the door' of rugby's elite, says proud Borthwick
Steve Borthwick reckons England are "banging on the door" of the elite nations after their close loss to New Zealand.
England went down 24-22 to the All Blacks in Saturday's Test match at Twickenham.
Mark Tele'a scored the decisive try for New Zealand, who beat England twice in July, in the 76th minute.
England missed the chance to win it late on when George Ford missed a drop-goal attempt, after he had struck the post with a penalty.
But coach Borthwick, who was immensely proud of his team, feels England showed they are capable of mixing it with the best teams in the world, despite losing four of their last five Tests.
"It is a mixture of immense pride at the performance against a very tough New Zealand team and one of incredible disappointment," Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"They are the emotions we balance and will work through over the next few days.
"When we started two years ago we wanted to get England right to the top of world rugby again. You can see the team banging on the door."
With the pre-match build-up having been dominated by Joe Marler's jibe at New Zealand's pre-match haka routine, tries from Tele'a and Will Jordan put New Zealand in control.
Marcus Smith's penalties kept England in contention, though, and he set up the hosts' only try when he intercepted a loose pass and teed up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Yet England ultimately failed to hold on to an eight-point advantage, with Ford having to be consoled by his team-mates after the match.
Next up for England are Australia, with fixtures against South Africa and Japan also in store.
"We really have to find a way of winning these close ones," said captain Jamie George. "We put ourselves in a really good position after 60 minutes.
"Eight points is a lot in Test match rugby but we probably went chasing the game a bit and gave away too many penalties. We have to be smarter in that respect."
England walked up to the halfway line to face the haka, something George explained was planned prior to Marler's comments.
"That was always our plan before Joe's comments but we did it in a respectful way," said George. "I saw a smile on Scott Barrett’s face, I was smiling, and it was done in good spirits."
England aiming to be one of 'world's best' teams, says Earl
England have aspirations of greatness, asserted Ben Earl as he prepares to face New Zealand in a friendly at Twickenham.
The 26-year-old was optimistic about the progress England had made under Steve Borthwick despite registering two losses at the hands of the All Blacks in July.
England will be seeking revenge after losing the second match of the test in a devastatingly close 16-15 defeat. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso had scored a try to put England ahead after scores had been tied 10-10 at half-time, but two penalty kicks from Damian McKenzie ended their hopes.
Earl, however, believes the heartbreak has given his country an opportunity to develop.
“I think it’s an experience all the big teams go through, you have to go through some heartache to get over the line,” he told TNT Sports.
“It just feels like it’s the evolution of all the top teams, and we are a team that wants to be known as a great team, some of the world’s best.
“So we know the heartache is good for a while, but it’s time to go and do it at the right time. We got a glimpse of it against Ireland last year, and we feel we are due one, and we have learnt some really hard lessons over the summer, so we feel we are in a better place for it.
“We have always said you don’t win easily against us and that’s something we have developed over the last 18 months with Steve’s mindset and the boys getting hold of it, and now I feel it’s time to get over the line in one of these big games.”
New Zealand have won their last three matches, having defeated Japan and secured a double over Australia. They struggled against reigning world champions South Africa, however, as they failed to exact revenge on the Springboks in late summer tests falling to defeat twice.
Undoubtedly, the All Blacks still represent some of the best talent in the world, with Earl expected to line up opposite New Zealand’s superstar Wallace Sititi.
“There’s stardust littered all over the pitch isn’t there? There’s some pretty cool match-ups; it just feels like a game that isn’t going to disappoint,” he said.
England won’t be overawed, though. Instead, they aim to make their west London home a fortress for visiting sides to travel to.
“[Twickenham is] a place where we want to be really, really hard to beat. And we’ve always said in the camp, if you want to beat us at Twickenham you are going to have to be over and above the norm,” Earl said.
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