#2. Billy Vunipola
- Age: 30
- Position: Number 8
- Club: Saracens
- Caps: 61
They said: “The younger Vunipola began with a quartet of handling errors in the loss to Argentina before being dropped to the bench for Japan. Grew into the New Zealand clash after an inaccurate start but quiet when South Africa came to town.”
RUCK’s rating: 5.1/10
Billy Vunipola facts:
- Vunipola was born in Sydney in Australia to Tongan parents, but moved to Wales with his family as a young child after his father Feʻao Vunipola signed for Pontypool RFC in 1998
- While at Harrow School, Vunipola joined the Wasps Academy
- Vunipola’s father is former Tonga captain Fe’ao Vunipola and his mother, Iesinga Vunipola, a Methodist minister in High Wycombe
- fter being selected for England U18, U20 and Saxons squads, he earned his first senior England cap against Argentina in June 2013, scoring his first Test try
- Vunipola won his first senior silverware in 2015 when Saracens beat Bath in the Premiership final
#1. Manu Tuilagi
- Age: 31
- Position: Centre
- Club: Sale Sharks
- Caps: 50
They said: “Few alarm bells are beginning to ring about how effective Tuilagi can still be at cracking defences open. It’s not that Tuilagi isn’t seeing enough of the ball, he just isn’t breaking enough tackles.”
RUCK’s rating: 5.6/10
Manu Tuilagi facts:
- Etuale Manusamoa ‘Manu’ Tuilagi is named after the Samoa national rugby team
- He is the younger brother of Freddie, Henry, Alesana, Anitelea and Sanele Vavae Tuilagi, all of whom are Samoan internationals and also played for Leiceste
- In June 2010, Tuilagi faced possible deportation from the UK after it became known that he had entered the country on a holiday visa six years earlier
- During the 2011 World Cup, he was fined £4,800 after wearing a sponsored mouthguard, breaking the tournament’s rules
- He became England’s youngest RWC player at 20 years and 115 days against Argentina, being 15 days younger than Jonny Wilkinson, who set the record in 1999