Mako vunipola breaks his silence on possibly swapping nations, he'd 'love to' - ruck

ENGLAND PROP MAKO VUNIPOLA ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT FROM INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BEFORE THE 2024 SIX NATIONS. _Join the RUCK’S WHATSAPP COMMUNITY HERE and get the latest news sent straight to

your messages._ __ The 32-year-old ends his Test career with 79 caps for England. He also earned nine caps for the British & Irish Lions, participating in nine consecutive Test matches

during the 2013, 2017, and 2021 tours. Vunipola has been in excellent form for Saracens this season, with a potential move to Montpellier alongside his brother Billy being highly

anticipated. If he continued playing until 2026, the then 34-year-old would be eligible to switch national teams, potentially leading to an international comeback with Tonga. His brother

Billy could be in a similar position, with the option to play for either Tonga or Australia. Mako, who could also qualify to play for New Zealand, expressed a desire to represent Tonga but

acknowledged the complications given his extensive career with England. When asked about a possible switch a few tears ago, he said” “When I’m with England, I’m proud to be English, but

understanding my heritage is Tongan. Whatever I can do to try and help as much as I can; not just with Tonga but the islands, I do. “Obviously I’d love to play for them, but it’s difficult

because it would be unfair to those back on the island; to see myself as an old man coming in and taking that opportunity away from them. ‘It’s a catch-22 really. You’d like to see people

not being tied down to one (country) and being able to represent those countries – and they’d be better for it – but you’d also like locals to have the opportunity to make a better life for

themselves by playing for their country and on the back of that getting contracts overseas.” THE 33-MAN ENGLAND SQUAD STEVE BORTHWICK SHOULD SELECT FOR SUMMER TOUR It’s been a decade since

England’s last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat. The memories of the 2008 tour aren’t any sweeter, with England tasting defeat

in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup. In this

highly anticipated tour, Borthwick’s squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo. Here is the list of our

predicted squad organised by their current clubs: RUCK’S ENGLAND SQUAD FOR THE SUMMER: HARLEQUINS * Joe Marler * Fin Baxter * Chandler Cunningham-South * Marcus Smith BRISTOL BEARS * Ellis

Genge * Harry Randall * Gabriel Ibitoye SARACENS * Jamie George * Theo Dan * Maro Itoje * Ben Earl * Elliot Daly CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO -------------------------