LIST: 5 players who'd like to swap countries for the 2023 Rugby World Cup - Page 5 of 5 - Ruck

LIST: 5 players who’d like to swap countries for the 2023 Rugby World Cup

5. Mako Vunipola (England to Tonga)

  • Current number of caps: 70
  • Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
  • Did you know:? In 2018, Vunipola and his partner welcomed a son, Jacob.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, the loosehead-prop would be eligible to play for Tonga as he is the son of former Tonga captain Fe’ao Vunipola.

The prop said: “When I’m with England, I’m proud to be English, but understanding my heritage is Tongan. Whatever I can do to try and help as much as I can; not just with Tonga but the islands, I do.

“Obviously I’d love to play for them, but it’s difficult because it would be unfair to those back on the island; to see myself as an old man coming in and taking that opportunity away from them.

“It’s a catch-22 really. You’d like to see people not being tied down to one (country) and being able to represent those countries – and they’d be better for it – but you’d also like locals to have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves by playing for their country and on the back of that getting contracts overseas.”

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