Vunipola finds his voice at senior level


Coming into a senior rugby environment at a young age could be seen as a daunting prospect for some, but Manu Vunipola has adapted seamlessly.
The England Under-20 fly-half, who has committed his long-term future to Saracens, made his first-team debut for the Men in Black aged 18 and now has 21 club caps to his name.
"The experiences have changed me and made me a better player and a better person.”
From playing under the lights of Racing 92 to kicking a last-minute penalty to win at home against London Irish, Vunipola has experienced a lot in such a short space of time and has been trusted to don the 10 jersey on numerous occasions in 2019/20.
While he didn’t look out of place to the spectator, he admits he has had to find his voice on the field and it’s an area of his game he is continuing to work on.
“It was quite surreal at first,” the former Harrow pupil said. “I couldn’t quite believe the position I was in, the players I was playing with at such a young age and just having that exposure this early in my career is something I could only have dreamt of.
“I’m quite a quiet person and at the start of the season I wasn’t really myself, I always thought I was too young to put on the jersey for the Saracens team but as it went on I kind of learnt that I needed to step up and be the player that needs to lead and that meant I had to be vocal.
“That’s something I worked on and I’m still working on, but the experiences have changed me and made me a better player and a better person.”
He continued: “Looking back on those experiences, they are matches I’ve always wanted to be involved in.
“Those are the times you dream of as a kid and when you’re finally there you don’t really how lucky you are. It’s been a good experience and hopefully I’ll get more opportunities like that; it’s only going to make me better.”
News
See all newsTEAM NEWS | Saracens Men v Sale Sharks (PREM - Rd 4)
Maro Itoje says it will be an enormous honour to become the latest member of the 200 Club at Saracens when he leads the team out against Sale Sharks on Saturday. The Saracens, England and British & Irish Lions Captain will be the 17th player on an illustrious list to have reached a double hundred […]
Saracens Foundation Update
Here's the latest update from the Foundation! Love to Balance Stevenage Council are funding a second year of ‘Love to Balance’ sessions in four assisted living homes in Stevenage. Love to Balance is a seated dance class combining gentle strength and balance exercises with uplifting music, designed especially for residents in assisted livingand care homes. […]
Saracens Supporters Association (SSA)
Welcome to StoneX Stadium for PREM round four as we extend a warm welcome to the players, coaching team (led by the familiar figure of Alex Sanderson) and of course supporters of Sale Sharks. We hope you had a good journey down from Manchester. Last weekend saw mixed results in our two matches against Quins. […]