Billy Vunipola set to go straight into England XV to face Scotland in Six Nations
Saracens powerhouse Billy Vunipola is set to earn an immediate international recall during England’s crunch Six Nations showdown with Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday.
Whiteboards positioned at the side of the pitch at England’s Pennyhill Park training base yesterday appeared to suggest Vunipola is pencilled in to replace Nathan Hughes at No8.
Scrum-half Ben Youngs, winger Jack Nowell and centre Jonathan Joseph also seem in line for a return to the backline after either being on the bench or dropped for England’s victory over Italy.
Joseph is set to replace Worcester’s Ben Te’o at outside centre, while Youngs in for Danny Care at scrum-half and Jack Nowell replacing Jonny May on the wing appear to be the changes under consideration by head coach Eddie Jones.
Vunipola only made his comeback for Saracens on Sunday when he played 72 minutes against Newcastle following three months out with knee ligament damage.
Victory in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup would see England equal world champions New Zealand’s record of 18 successive Test wins.