Coming to Vannes to discover the Top 14 and give momentum to his career at 33, English international pillar Mako Vunipola is relishing this challenge among the 'blue and white', who are hosting the French vice-champion, UBB, Saturday during the tenth day.
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“Thank you for speaking English. My French is not great,” the 88-cap player apologized, sitting down for his first press conference since his arrival at the beginning of July.
Just promoted to the Top 14, Vannes struck a nice blow with this recruitment that was as ambitious as it was surprising.
“I wanted to experience something new. I felt like I had explored a bit of what I could do in England. And as I know that the time during which I will still be able to play rugby is very short, it was a bit now or never,” he explained.
Attracted by the Top 14, he settled down in Morbihan.
“I saw it as an opportunity to help a club that wants to grow. It’s something that motivated me and that I wanted to be a part of,” argued the player.
Less than five months later, he speaks enthusiastically about his new life.
“The guys welcomed me with open arms, as did the city,” he explained, impressed by the fervor around the RCV.
At 33, he is still looking to learn and progress
“During the pre-season, we trained in different places in Brittany. It's something I wasn't used to in England, this support throughout Brittany for Vannes. It’s incredible,” he said.
He quickly blended into his new team, scoring his very first try in the elite, on the first day, against Toulouse. Followed by a second on the 8th day, contributing to the victory against Castres.
“Yes, he adapted. But that's no surprise. His career speaks for itself,” said coach Jean-Noël Spitzer.
“He exudes a form of serenity which then spreads a little throughout the team,” he also observed.
Despite five English championships, two European Cups and three Six Nations Tournaments to his name, Vunipola assures that he hopes to progress further.
“One of the reasons I was brought in was in the hope that I would share some of the experience that I bring with me. I try to do that as much as I can but I obviously try to learn too,” he explained.
Still a little hampered by “the language barrier, (…) I try to be a leader through my actions more than through my words,” he added.
On the learning side, the discovery of the Top 14 lives up to its expectations.
Vunipola: “In the Top 14, anything can happen”
The game “is probably a little more structured in the (English) Premiership. But in the Top 14, anything can happen. There are so many players who can turn a match around, who can create, cause something out of nothing,” he marveled.
“And this weekend, we are going to play a team which is probably one of the strongest in this area,” he added in reference to the visit of the French vice-champion Bordeaux, Saturday at 9:05 p.m. at the Stade of Rabine.
“They can score tries from their own line. They can score tries from any situation. They are very dangerous,” he warned.
With two victories and three defensive bonuses, Vannes “has nothing to be ashamed of” its start to the championship, despite its last place, also judged the pillar.
But to really aim for maintenance, the RCV will have to “be more regular, not just from one match to the next, but also within a match”, particularly on “precision and athletic level”, Vunipola analyzed.
“Our main weakness was that many of our errors gave the opponent points,” he regretted.
“I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and so there is a reason why I am here. I still have to discover it,” he confided.
Perhaps quite simply that of offering Vannes a historic retention in the Top 14.
