Mako Vunipola to miss Saracens title charge with 'significant' injury but expected to be fit for World Cup

Mako Vunipola celebrates Saracens' Champions Cup win after being forced off through injury in the first half
AFP/Getty Images
Will Macpherson16 May 2019

England prop Mako Vunipola will not miss this year’s World Cup despite picking up a "significant” hamstring injury in Saracens’ Champions Cup triumph on Saturday, which is set to rule him out for the rest of the club season.

Vunipola will be joined on the sidelines for Saracens' tilt at the Premiership title by fellow prop Titi Lamositele, who has an ankle injury.

The pair limped off together after 29 minutes of the Champions Cup Final against Leinster, in which Saracens scored 20 unanswered points to win from 10-0 down.

Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall said “everybody else is ok”, allaying worries over Jamie George and Billy Vunipola, who also had slight injuries on Saturday evening, and Alex Goode, who spent close to 72 hours celebrating the final in his matchday kit.

“Mako has torn a hamstring and is waiting to see exactly what’s happened but I would very much doubt he’d play again this season,” he said. “Titi also won’t play again this season.

In Pictures | Leinster vs Saracens, Champions Cup Final | 11/05/2019

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“He [Mako] won’t be out of the World Cup. He will be out for a while though, it is quite a significant injury.

“Obviously it’s disappointing to lose two players like that and it makes us a little bit vulnerable, to be honest.”

Saracens have one Premiership regular season game left this season, against Worcester on Saturday, before a home semi-final and possible final at Twickenham on June 1.

McCall said most of the 23 from last weekend will not face Worcester, and was confident they had enough depth at prop to cover the absences of Mako Vunipola and Lamositele.

“Juan Figallo is just coming back from injury, which is good timing,” he said.

“We were really impressed with Richard Barrington and Vincent Koch did when they came on, and Christian Judge has had a really good season. So we’ve got some guys who are ready to step up.”

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