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Billy Vunipola implies he may be about to leave Saracens
By Ian Cameron
Out of favour England No.8 Billy Vunipola has implied that he's ready to leave Saracens after the Rugby World Cup, should an opportunity arrive.
Vunipola has enjoyed a stellar domestic career with Sarries, having won everything there is to win at club level, while also amassing 64 caps with England, since joining the side in 2013.
Now, with the reduced Gallagher Premiership salary cap starting to pinch, the potential for high-profile players like Vunipola, who are on the margins of the England team, to pen lucrative deals with clubs overseas is becoming ever more enticing. Vunipola and his older brother Mako have been regularly linked with moves to France in recent years but have ultimately lumped for staying put in London.
Now that could be about to change, for Billy at least.
"I think in terms of Saracens, we've done everything we can do with them," Vunipola told The Big Jim Show podcast. "In terms of wanting to experience something new, I'm definitely open to it. This is a big year for everyone involved with England and Saracens.
"I want to get picked for England. I want to play for England. After that we can see where we are.
"For me in my head, it's firmly on trying to play as well as I can; finding a way to make more metres; finding a way to be more prominent in games, especially at international level.
"I'll be in a better position to make a call on... if teams look at me and think 'He can actually help our team' instead of being a hindrance or not being that good.
"In terms of experiencing France, Japan or Super Rugby [I'm interested]. My wife's Australian. It's definitely something that I've thought about before but I've never done. I mean I'm thirty now. Now would be the right time to pull the trigger on something like that."
You can listen to The Big Jim Show podcast in full here.
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Latest Comments
This France team is as good as they were when they went into the World Cup as favorites. Have gone through a rebuild of confidence and rediscovered that form.
Neither England nor Ireland will trouble this team in the 6N. That’s my prediction.
And I guess about time too. Considering that France has won but one 6N title in 6 seasons despite being the best French team for generations thriving off the platform which is the Top 14.
They must just beware of peaking too soon and going to Australia over confident.
Which is also why I thinks it’s absolutely bonkers that France isn’t sending there best players to New Zealand next year. Yes, it isn’t Australia, but getting some SH travel experience makes more sense than not.
Go to commentsI'm not meaning to criticise the players, it's a professional game, this is their livelihood so all power to them. I am aiming criticism at the selectors. Italy is the perfect opportunity to give players of the future a game such as Lakai, Love etc. There is a finite number of tests until the next world cup to develop the team, we are wasting one today.
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