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Billy Vunipola insists he is ready to resume his primary function as England\u2019s battering ram having played a supporting role against Chile which allowed others to shine.<\/p>\n
Vunipola is competing with the in-form Ben Earl for the number eight jersey in the final group match against Samoa on October 7 when Steve Borthwick\u2019s team are expected to clinch their World Cup quarter-final spot as Pool D winners.<\/p>\n
Making his first start since completing a two-match ban for a dangerous tackle, the imposing Saracens back row found his ability to make a significant impact in the 71-0 demolition of Chile last Saturday curtailed by the all-out assault being conducted around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny to say this because we beat them quite convincingly but it\u2019s tough for me to try and take all the onus on myself when everyone else is very keen to try and get the ball in their hands,\u201d Vunipola said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy role becomes that of a support player and as much as I want to have the ball in my hands, I want to put the team in the best position possible. So if that means giving the ball to Owen Farrell more often, then so be it.<\/p>\n
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\u201cObviously having a lot of involvements is a positive. I would have liked to have had 15-16 carries, but at the end of the day that\u2019s not what the team needed from me on Saturday. My role was to try and help the team and I felt like I did that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I felt positive coming away because the forwards put the backs in positions where they could run free and attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m supremely confident in what I bring in terms of my physicality and against physical teams I know I can hold my own. When I\u2019m called upon I\u2019m right here, waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I\u2019m called upon I\u2019m right here, waiting<\/p>\n
England have overcome an abysmal World Cup build-up consisting of three defeats in four preparation fixtures to dispatch Argentina, Japan and Chile with ease since arriving in France.<\/p>\n
Although the suspicion remains that they will struggle when meeting the type of heavyweight opposition they have yet to face, they will enter a likely quarter-final against Fiji with the wind in their sails.<\/p>\n
It has since emerged that their disastrous results last month were partly a consequence of their heavy conditioning programme, which has been designed to place them in the best possible position for the key phases of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Vunipola uses David Haye\u2019s world heavyweight title defeat by Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, which he blamed on an injured toe, to explain why England kept the knowledge of their empty tanks to themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sit here with a team that\u2019s doing really well after what some people said was a disaster in August, but the work we were doing away from prying eyes was always going to bear these results.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just tough little period to ride through but luckily we have come through it. We couldn\u2019t talk about it otherwise it would be seen as an excuse.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe only example I can think of is when David Haye was complaining about his little toe after he lost his fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not something you can disclose but we were training really hard because our goal was to be ready and fresh for Argentina.\u201d<\/p>\n