After spending most of last season out of Eddie Jones’s plans, Vunipola was recalled for the summer tour of Australia and was a standout performer against the Wallabies in England’s series win.
A difficult autumn campaign followed, however, and Vunipola was the high-profile omission from Borthwick’s first Six Nations campaign as head coach.
Alex Dombrandt, has been the preferred No.8 option since but endured an underwhelming tournament, struggling to impose himself in a back row that looked lightweight, particularly in the humiliating record defeat by France.
Dombrandt and Vunipola faced off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend and it was the latter who excelled, outshining his opposite number in Saracens’ 36-24 win over Harlequins.
This story is from the April 02, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the April 02, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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