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.”
'Job not done' for Springboks after All Blacks triumph, says Kolisi
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.
The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.
Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation.
"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.
"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.
"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.
"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.
"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.
"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."
South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup.
Schmidt flummoxed by 'bizarre' Test as Australia downed by South Africa
Joe Schmidt said he cannot recall ever being involved in a more "bizarre" Test as his Australia side were downed 30-12 by South Africa in the Rugby Championship.
Malcolm Marx touched down twice for the Springboks in rainy Perth to make it two from two in the tournament but the Wallabies were hit by a swathe of injuries.
Front-row pair Allan Alaalatoa and Angus Bell were unable to return for the second half and scrums went uncontested after replacement prop James Slipper failed a head injury assessment.
The Wallabies even went down to 14 briefly when hooker Josh Nasser went off injured, though they did return to a full 15.
Reflecting on the unfortunate series of events, head coach Schmidt told Stan Sport: "It's probably one of the most bizarre games I've ever been involved in.
"In over 100 Test matches that I've been involved in I've never had a situation like that before. It happened so early in the game as well. When Slips got a head knock right after half-time.
"And then we were straight down. And then we played with 14 for a period of time before the officials worked out that we were still entitled to have a full pack because of the HIA.
"But I still am proud of the way that the guys fought their way through that second half. And the way that they stayed in the fight in the first half. It could have been, and I know it could have been as easy to say, but it could have been 12-11 at half-time and that would have been a massive lift for the boys."
Australia are winless through their first two matches, both against the Springboks, and will next face Argentina in La Plata on August 31.
Australia 12-30 South Africa: Springboks' late charge downs Wallabies
Malcolm Marx scored two tries in the second half to lead South Africa to a 30-12 victory over Australia in rainy Perth.
After a tight first half, the Springboks asserted their dominance to make it two wins from two in the Rugby Championship ahead of their meeting with New Zealand next week.
Noah Lolesio's penalty gave Australia the early lead, but they could not hold onto it for long as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu equalised moments before Aphelele Fassi latched onto a long kick to touch down the first try.
Lolesio slotted in two more kicks only to miss another on the stroke of half-time that would have given the Wallabies the lead.
They were punished for it after the break as Marco van Staden and Malcolm Marx twice touched down to maintain South Africa's perfect start.
Though it was a marked improvement for the Wallabies from their opening-day performance in Brisbane, Joe Schmidt still has work to do to get them ready for Argentina next weekend.
Data Debrief: Springboks extend Australian run
South Africa have now won each of their last three Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia. The last time they recorded a longer such winning run was a four-match span from July 1971 to July 1993.
Though Australia have suffered back-to-back defeats, they showed more of a fight. Last week, it took them 75 minutes to score, compared to just three this time around.
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