Big Billy was like a pig in muck again

I suspect most of us could have written the match report for England v Georgia on Friday morning over a cup of coffee. You didn’t need to be Mystic Meg.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Pretty decent work out up front where the Georgians are always physical if not particularly intimidating or expert at present; two or three tries from Jamie George from rolling mauls, cameo appearance and try off the bench from Dan Robson, try on debut for Jack Willis and the normal bog standard excellence you expect at all times from Joe Launchbury but nobody ever comments on.

All this duly came to pass but what I wouldn’t have predicted was such a fresh and invigorating performance from No.8 Billy Vunipola who was comfortably my man of the match notwithstanding George’s hat-trick. On a drab afternoon he stood out.

Perhaps the rain slowed things down a little which was to his liking and the sight of those big Georgian forwards was a red rag to a bull for the Sarries man who was like a pig in muck taking them on. It was more than that though. There was a freshness and speed of thought and deed that we haven’t seen for a good while from Vunipola.

By his own admission, he struggled a little at the World Cup in Japan and then came yet another injury to disrupt a domestic season. Increasingly there has been talk as to how he fits into the England back row going forward, especially an England team that will need to be fleet of foot to challenge at RWC2023.

Tom Curry and Sam Underhill we know all about, Jack Willis and Ben Earl cannot be ignored, Sam Simmonds must surely come into the equation at some stage along with Alex Dombrandt. Meanwhile Eddie Jones is still obviously toying with the idea of picking a bespoke big man – a lock and lineout specialist – like Maro Itoje or Courtney Lawes at blindside flanker for some matches.