#5. Billy Vunipola
- Position: Number 8
- England caps: 68
Vunipola climbed off the bench to make his England debut against Argentina on their 2013 summer tour and in his short time on the field bulldozed over for his maiden international try.
Born in Sydney and the son of former Tongan international Fe’ao, Billy and his brother Mako qualify for England through residency.
Billy won his first eight Test caps consecutively before injury ruled him out of the Wales match at Twickenham in March 2014. Appointed as one of three vice captains to Dylan Hartley in the new Jones era, Billy was pivotal to their historic Grand Slam win with man of the match displays against Scotland, Ireland and France.
Injury struck to limit his involvement to just two games in the 2017 Six Nations as England made it consecutive Championships and then shoulder surgery denied him the chance to tour with the British & Irish Lions to New Zealand. 2018 was a similar story as injuries kept him on the sidelines but he returned in time to earn selection for England’s summer tour to South Africa. Billy was recently named in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the 2023 Ru
Greenwood wrote: “This is a real show of faith. He has been out in the cold and cannot know whether he is coming or going, but has broad enough shoulders.
“If he is fit, he has always been who I would pick. Has stared down some of the best in the world and got the better of them.”