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.
