Billy Vunipola was booed at Ashton Gate after being introduced from the bench and Mark McCall said he stood by Saracens’ stance that they took the England forward’s post on social media seriously.
But the club’s director of rugby acknowledged the turmoil his star player is enduring. “He’s a human being, isn’t he?” said McCall. “He’s also very keen to do well for his teammates. He’s a great team man and a great club man. I thought he did very well [today against Bristol] but I’m sure there was a lot of stuff going on in his head.”
McCall would not be drawn on his own views but confirmed the club would be dealing with the matter internally. “We haven’t sat down with him as a club. I’ll talk to him myself but the club will talk to him as well in due course. I don’t want to get dragged into this. I’m not going to give my opinion. If you don’t mind, I’ll keep referring to the club statement. I don’t think my opinion is particularly relevant.”
Saracens resisted the temptation to pull Vunipola from the squad, having picked him on the bench earlier in the week, ahead of next weekend’s date with Munster in the Champions Cup semi-final. “Billy didn’t play last week. The decision to select him was made before what happened happened. We saw no reason not to keep him in the squad.”
Bristol’s director of rugby, Pat Lam, is a fellow Pacific Islander, likewise guided by his faith. “The number one thing that I know with my faith is,” he said, “Jesus is very clear – I’m not here to judge anyone. I’ll judge their performances later as a rugby coach, but I’m not going to judge anyone or what anyone does. It’s about what I do, about my relationship with the big feller, how I treat people – and that’s all I can control. I’m not going to judge anybody on their views or beliefs.”