Given his attention to detail, it will not be lost on Steve Borthwick that the last time Billy Vunipola was named on England’s bench was in the autumn of 2022, against Japan, in the last victory of Eddie Jones’s tenure.
Japan were dismal that day but the manner in which England dominated, with Jones opting for a more mobile back row including Sam Simmonds, may go some way to explaining why Vunipola has been named only on the bench for for Sunday’s match against the same opponents.
Still, it is a surprise that the No 8, available again after suspension, is not in the starting lineup. It is not often that Vunipola is used as a replacement – indeed, only a handful of times in his career and most of those early on. The last of those, before the Japan fixture last year, was in the 2017 Six Nations and when Borthwick declared “we want him to play as much as he possibly can” when naming his squad just a month ago, the expectation was that if Vunipola is fit and available, he plays.
Vunipola, lest we forget, was out of favour during the Six Nations – it is understood Borthwick had concerns over his ability to get repeatedly over the gainline – but somewhere between mid-March and the summer he became a key part of the head coach’s plans.
But in the same way that Alex Mitchell and Jonny May both started last week against Argentina, having been omitted from the initial World Cup squad, Borthwick is evidently happy to adapt on the hoof. Lewis Ludlam was excellent off the bench against Argentina, was a mainstay of the back row during the Six Nations and it is no surprise that Borthwick has deemed him worthy of the No 8 jersey.
Similarly Ben Earl has been arguably England’s best player since the start of their warm-up campaign and with Courtney Lawes captaining the side, Borthwick’s new-look back row has a balanced feel to it. There continues to be widespread shock in France that Jack Willis, such a prominent figure for the Top 14 champions Toulouse, cannot get a look in but others have seized their opportunity and Borthwick is rewarding them.
“Lewis is a great energy giver,” said Borthwick of the back-rower who made 11 tackles in his 15 minutes on the pitch against Argentina. “He is a great driver of this squad and very generous in helping other teammates improve and you always need those type of players in your team.
“Secondly, he has been a key leader of his club side for many seasons and I see that in him and I have seen that growth in him as a leader, certainly coming back and working with him again now after a few years. Thirdly, what he offers as a player. He carries, he runs hard and covers a lot of ground in defence, which I don’t think people often see; what he makes up, what he does often goes under the radar. He is that type of player and we value that here.”
The two other changes Borthwick has made to his side come in the front row with Joe Marler making only his second start since the 2020 Six Nations and Kyle Sinckler making a welcome return to the side, having overcome a chest injury. Sinckler started all of England’s Six Nations matches but managed only two appearances over the summer as his recent injury problems returned.
Borthwick, however, is convinced Sinckler can find the kind of form he showcased at the 2019 World Cup – none more so than the quarter-final against Australia – but that he has been unable to consistently repeat since.
“I thought the Six Nations he played I saw a great advancement in the consistency of his game,” added Borthwick. “What I see of him now is physically a guy who is in great shape. He’s exceptionally strong and he’s moving really well. What I see is a player now who when I speak to him I sense the hunger in him.”
