Super heroes who can be marvels with Lions

Saracens coach Alex Sanderson expects his real life ‘Fantastic Five’ of George Kruis, Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell and brothers Mako and Billy Vunipola to defy the effects of a marathon season and provide the bedrock for next summer’s Lions campaign.
The quintet do not possess the death-defying powers of Marvel’s comic book superheroes but prior to yesterday’s third Test against Australia they had played 159 games between them since last August, tasting defeat just 13 times with England and Saracens.
Having averaged just under 32 games apiece there are justifiable fears over burnout, but Sanderson insists his Premiership, Champions Cup, Six Nations Grand Slam and summer tour-winners can continue surfing the crest of a seemingly unstoppable wave.
He told The Rugby Paper: “What those five have achieved this season defies belief but they’ve been well managed by England and Phil Morrow, our strength and conditioning guy at Saracens, and I don’t believe they’ve been overplayed.
“We try to keep them fresh.
“Fatigue is always a concern and it’s often more the mental tiredness that affects your playing form, but those guys are in a good place and we’ve got an absolute genius in Phil who manages their workload through the year to make sure guys aren’t doing too much.
“Owen, Mako, Billy, George and Maro, plus Alex Goode and Jamie George, will get three clear weeks off when they return from Australia and they’re unbelievable professionals in how they go about their recovery.
“Everything will be done to ensure they stay fit.”
Sanderson added: “I’d hope these guys will get a shot at the Lions next year. Mako and Owen have been there before, but Maro and George are now the outstanding locks in Europe and Billy’s really stepped up to challenge Toby Faletau as the dominant No.8.
“That’s been the basis of us winning the Champions Cup and England’s success in the Six Nations and now down in Australia, so you can’t look much further than England’s pack and those Saracens guys make up the bones of it.
“They have to be real Lions contenders.”
Sanderson also praises the outstanding work of England defence coach Paul Gustard, who left Saracens in December and has been instrumental in the Red Rose revival.
“I’ve been texting Paul and last week was a defining moment for him,” Sanderson said. “At the start of the tour he had a little trouble getting everyone on the same page, but since that first half hour in Brisbane they’ve really got a handle on everything now.
“To make such a big decision to leave a successful club like Saracens was tough for him, but England’s success has fortified that decision. I couldn’t be happier for him and Eddie’s been shrewd in getting people underneath him who can do the job.”
Saracens, meanwhile, return to pre-season training on July 4 and Sanderson knows his team of champions face a battle to replicate their double-winning exploits.
He added: “The biggest challenge as coaches is maintaining the hunger that drives consistency.
“For all the players have achieved, it starts again in pre-season and we’ll just go week-to-week as we have done for seven years, but we know we’ll have to work harder.”
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