Billy and Mako Vunipola help Saracens to a 40-3 victory over Bath
Billy and Mako Vunipola shrug off their England Six Nations snub and shine for Saracens after helping their side to an emphatic 40-3 victory over Bath and bounce back from consecutive defeats
- Billy and Mako Vunipola helped Saracens to a 40-3 win over Bath on Saturday
- The pair were left out of Eddie Jones’ 36-man squad for the Six Nations
- England opened their Six Nations campaign suffering a 20-17 defeat to Scotland
The Vunipola brothers shrugged off their latest England snub to inspire Saracens to a bonus-point 40-3 win over Bath.
Billy and Mako Vunipola were left out of Eddie Jones’s 36-man squad for the Six Nations, and instead they helped Sarries move back to second spot in the Premiership. Hooker Tom Woolstencroft starred with a brace of tries.
No8 Billy showed off some of his trademark ball-carrying prowess while prop Mako put his body on the line again, giving the visiting forwards plenty of problems.
Saracens’ Mako Vunipola helped his side defeat Bath 40-3 on Saturday at the StoneX Stadium
Brother Billy Vunipola (left) also impressed putting his Six Nations snub behind him
Asked if the brothers were frustrated at being overlooked for England, Saracens attack coach Joe Shaw said, ‘I’m sure they are, but we don’t see that here. Billy has been performing well all year. The number of his carries and physicality really stood out.’
Cousin Manu Vunipola, at fly-half, was also in sparkling form as Saracens crushed their opponents with five tries. Alex Lozowski kicked 15 points, with Alex Lewington, Alex Goode and Theo McFarland scoring tries.
Leaders Leicester bounced back from two defeats by running in five tries in a 36-16 win over Worcester. Freddie Burns scored one of the Tigers’ tries and added nine points with the boot.
Wasps completed an astonishing turnaround at Exeter, coming from 18 points behind to win 27-26. They were still 11 points down with just two minutes left on the clock.
Paolo Odogwu was the Wasps hero, opening the scoring and then completing it deep into added time with the winning try in the corner.
Andy Uren scored the first of Bristol’s four tries in their 37-21 win over Newcastle, turning on a style which delighted director of rugby Pat Lam.
Six Nations favourites France will be at full strength on the pitch against Italy in Paris today, but they will have to open their campaign without head coach Fabien Galthie, who has tested positive for Covid.
Bristol Bears’ Andy Uren scored the first of four tries as his side defeated Newcastle 37-21
Fabien Galthie will miss France’s Six Nations clash against Italy on Sunday due to Covid-19
Raphael Ibanez will take charge but insists Galthie will be hands-on, albeit from a hotel room at their Chantilly training camp.
‘Fabien will be in direct contact with me and the coaches,’ Ibanez said. ‘We are going to study the best way to involve him. We will do everything to leave as little room as possible for improvisation.’
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