Vincent Koch: Saracens team-mate Billy Vunipola will ‘prove everyone wrong’ after Lions squad omission
Vincent Koch has backed his Saracens team-mate Billy Vunipola to bounce back from missing out on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa this summer and prove everybody wrong.
The England No8 failed to make the 37-man group heading to South Africa, while fellow Red Rose stars Jonny May, Henry Slade and Manu Tuilagi were also overlooked.
Koch, who is hoping to play for South Africa against the Lions, has backed Vunipola to bounce back from that omission.
“We have seen it a few times. He is probably the guy that bounces back the best,” Koch told Standard Sport.
“If he is injured or has a setback, he will definitely work harder to prove everyone wrong. And not just everyone outside, but to prove himself wrong as well.
“He is a guy that can change things around really quick. I definitely think this will motivate him. I am quite excited to see how he turns this one around.”
Saracens, despite playing in the Championship this season, have five players in the Lions squad for this summer’s tour.
Elliot Daly, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell all made the cut, but Koch admitted there was sadness in Billy Vunipola missing out.
“We are really excited for the boys that made it, but our heart goes out to Billy,” he said.
“He has had a tough year as well. We will just be there for him actually. I know it is not a great feeling, but I think he won’t sit in his shell.
“He won’t hide or feel sorry for himself. I think this will motivate him to just work harder and put the critics behind him.”
Vincent Koch and nine of his Saracens team-mates are currently using demo accounts to compete in the City Index Trading Places competition for charity.
You can view the leaderboards and learn more about the Trading Places Competition here: https://www.cityindex.co.uk/saracens/trading-places/
