Billy Vunipola will rise to challenge of Nathan Hughes

Billy Vunipola will see off the challenge of Nathan Hughes and prove he’s the best No.8 in world rugby, according to Saracens teammate Kelly Brown.
Wasps‘ Fijian powerhouse Hughes becomes England-qualified in June, after which Six Nations hero Vunipola can expect a battle for the jersey.
However, Vunipola proved his mettle against Hughes in last week’s Champions Cup semi-final victory over Wasps, which came as no surprise to Brown.
The Scotland flanker told The Rugby Paper: “Billy’s been incredible for us over the last two seasons. He was immense in the Six Nations for England and he’s come back and kept up that form for us, which was typified in last Saturday’s semi-final.
“Nathan Hughes is a very good player but I would have Billy in my side every time. He’s an incredible player and, in my opinion, the best No.8 in the world.
“Obviously he carries the ball well, but the side of his game he doesn’t get full credit for is in defence. He puts in a lot of hits and these aren’t just bespoke, run-of-the-mill tackles, he absolutely smashes guys and puts teams under huge pressure.
“I expect Billy to rise to the challenge from Nathan, without a shadow of a doubt. He’s aware of all the chat and I know everyone in the Press is excited about Nathan because he’s fresh on the scene, but Billy has kicked on even more since the Six Nations.”
As England boss Eddie Jones mulls over his options ahead of summer tours to Australia and South Africa, Brown, below, believes two more of Sarries’ European heroes, flankers Will Fraser and Jackson Wray, are making strong cases for senior or Saxons selection.
He explained: “Will’s got to come back onto England’s radar. The only thing holding him back is he’s not managed to string games together because of injury over the last three seasons, but this year he’s been playing a lot more and is playing well.
“Hopefully, he will get a chance with England and I’d say Jackson’s another who should come under some serious consideration. He’s a strong carrier, is great in the lineout and good in defence, so if he was given a chance with England, he’d take it.
“Jackson’s a real unsung hero for us and if you look at the number of games he’s played over the last two seasons, he’s played at a consistently high level.”
With a place in the Champions Cup final secured, Saracens return to league action against Newcastle today needing a win to guarantee a home play-off semi-final.
Brown, who returns from a calf tear, warned: “We need to be on our guard because Newcastle are a side who should probably be higher in the table.
“They’ve been unlucky in quite a few games they should have won or at least got an extra point from, so as a consequence they’re still not automatically safe. That makes them twice as dangerous in my eyes and we know they’re a good side.”
NEALE HARVEY