BILLY VUNIPOLA secretly hid his hamstring injury as he was worried about telling medics that he crocked himself by booting an Aussie Rules ball around.
With just one week until the First Test in Johannesburg England’s wrecking ball is still not 100 per cent fit to face South Africa.
But the Saracens star has assured fans that he is doing all he can to get ready to face the Springboks after damaging his leg messing around after training.
Honest Billy said: “It was my fault, I was doing some AFL kicking and then my hammy went tight before the Premiership semi-final.
“I didn’t tell the coaches, but when I came off at half-time against Wasps I told them, I was like: ‘Sorry guys, I was doing AFL kicking’. I stitched myself up there and I probably shouldn’t have said this.
“I had to manage myself a bit better the week after and now I feel strong again. I had a really good start to this week and hopefully, next week I’ll train fully and be fine.
“When I feel like I’m back to normal I forget I was injured and that’s probably why I get injured all the time.
“I’m supposed to strap my arm up too, but I hate wearing strapping so I just don’t use it. I get this weird thing in my head that if I’m strapped, I’m injured.”
England boss Eddie Jones desperately needs world-class Vunipola fit and firing to stop the Boks having been without him for more than a year now.
As not since 1976 have the tourists won in Johannesburg – and they come into the series on a wretched run of four defeats and their worst Six Nations on record.
Ahead of stepping out into the Ellis Park cauldron, Vunipola said: “We’ve got to scrap for everything.
“If we’re annoying or making them frustrated that’s probably the best sign of how up for it we are. It means we’re in their faces, otherwise they will just bully us of the park.
“We’ve got to try and stand up to that, always be there. Tom Curry is a good example of someone who, I’ve never seen anything like it, he’s bouncing around and he’s got a lot of energy – if he’s annoying me then hopefully he’ll annoy South Africa.
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“Hopefully it’s going to be old school, whose dad is bigger than whose dad. That’s the challenge we’ve got ahead of us, we’ve got to embrace it or we’ll be on the losing side.
“We’ve just got to fight for everything. It’s exciting because it’s quite simple, we’ve got to fight, scrap for everything and just annoy them. And their second rows are built like oak trees, so we’ve got to go out there and fly into it.”
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Vunipola was central to England’s record-equalling 18 game winning run from 2016 to 2017.
However, he now feels that this current reality check and losing their second-best side in the world tag to Ireland, was just what they needed.
The 25-year-old star added: “I think it is probably a good thing that we have gone through this tough period.
“You probably think you are untouchable, but you are not. It is a good lesson to learn and hopefully we can come together as a team on and off the pitch and really take this tour by the scruff of the neck.
“It is good that we are in a humble position and hopefully we can stay humble now up until the end of the World Cup.”
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