Dan Cole makes decision on international future, he's an England legend - Page 3 of 3 - Ruck

Dan Cole makes decision on international future, he’s an England legend

#3. Billy Vunipola

Speaking with The Telegraph, Vunipola was eager to reveal what really happened between him and England boss Steve Borthwick prior to his World Cup selection.

“When someone says something to you, and you get offended by it – for example, if someone says to me: ‘Billy you need to lose some weight’ and I get offended by it – it usually means that it is right,” “>Vunipola exclusively told Telegraph Sport.

“So, when I had a conversation with Steve and he told me that I wasn’t playing to my potential and that I wasn’t doing my job, my first reaction was: ‘Who is this guy to say that?’ But when I sat down and finally thought about it, I said to myself: ‘Do you know what, he is right.’ It was obvious to see that I wasn’t playing well in November.

“We talked about the autumn where I wasn’t as prominent as I should have been – and could have been in comparison to what I’d done previously.

“I had an honest conversation about him not seeing the player that I can be. And so, the challenge was set for me to basically go back to the club and show him. Not just show him but also for me, I think I got to a stage where I needed to take on extra responsibility to move my game on.”

However, due to actions off the pitch combined with an imminent move to France, Vunipola’s England career is also seemingly over.

Billy Vunipola of England in possession ahead of Kazuki Himeno of Japan during the Autumn International Series match between England and Japan at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on Saturday 12th November 2022 | Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK.

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