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Vunipola to start for Saracens against Leicester after England omission

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Published in Rugby
Friday, 06 March 2020 04:47

Mako Vunipola has been included in the Saracens team to face Leicester on Saturday, despite having been stood down by England as a coronavirus precaution earlier in the week.

The prop was not considered by Eddie Jones for Six Nations selection against Wales after the 29-year-old travelled through Hong Kong at the weekend.

He has trained with Sarries throughout the week and is symptom-free.

It will be Vunipola's first Premiership appearance for two months.

The prop helped Saracens seal a place in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals with a try against Racing 92 in his last club appearance in January.

Vunipola and his brother and team-mate for club and country, Billy, spent part of February in Tonga attending to a family illness, which saw him miss England's Six Nations win against Ireland.

The pair flew through Hong Kong, which has been affected by the virus since January, on their return to the United Kingdom.

Guidelines say those who have travelled from places such as Hong Kong should self-isolate if they "have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath".

Vunipola has displayed no such symptoms.

The Rugby Football Union's stance has been a more precautionary one, with England assistant coach Steve Borthwick saying the closeness of "24/7 camp environment" was part of their decision to leave the experienced prop, with 59 caps, out.

"Our medical team looks at our team environment, not other people's," Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live earlier this week.

"Mako didn't come into camp on the advice of our medical team, who looked into the situation closely and as a precaution they advised us that the best thing for our environment was for him not to come in."

Nine changes for Sarries

Vunipola packs down in a completely changed front row, with Tom Woolstencroft at hooker and tighthead Vincent Koch coming in for Richard Barrington and Titi Lamositele, who drop to the bench after last week's win at Northampton.

In total, Sarries director of rugby Mark McCall has made nine changes for the visit of second-from-bottom Leicester.

Jackson Wray, Duncan Taylor and Alex Goode were all lost to injury before half-time of their comeback win against Saints.

Matt Gallagher takes over from Goode at full-back, Dom Morris comes in for Taylor and Calum Clark replaces Wray in the back row.

Sione Kalamafoni will captain a much-changed Tigers side and starts alongside Harry Wells and Tommy Reffell who replace Hanro Liebenberg and the injured Jordan Taufua, who drop out of the squad.

The front five is overhauled, with Nephi Leatigaga, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Joe Heyes in the front row while Will Spencer and Joe Batley play at lock.

Johnny McPhillips, who kicked the match-winning points against Worcester last week, and Joe Thomas are poised to make their first Premiership starts.

Saracens: Gallagher; Segun, Morris, Barritt (capt), Lewington; Manu Vunipola, Wigglesworth; Mako Vunipola, Woolstencroft, Koch; Skelton, Kpoku, Isiekwe, Reffell, Clark.

Replacements: Singleton, Barrington, Lamositele, Hunter-Hill, Rhodes, Spencer, Whiteley, Crossdale

Leicester Tigers: Veainu; Holmes, Thomas, Eastmond, Hughes; McPhillips, White; Leatigaga, Polota-Nau, Heyes; Spencer, Batley, Wells, Reffell, Kalamafoni (capt).

Replacement: Kerr, Bateman, Cole, Green, Boladau, Simmons, Hardwick, Worth.

Referee: JP Doyle

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