Eddie Jones has praised the “honesty” of Billy Vunipola after the Saracens and England Number 8 withdrew from the British & Irish Lions squad through injury.
The 24-year-old pulled out of the Lions’ tour to New Zealand due to an ongoing shoulder problem.
Lions coach Warren Gatland was eager to manager the RBS 6 Nations 2017 winner Vunipola through the injury in the hope he would be fit for matches in the series.
However, Vunipola, who has scored six tries in 34 England appearances, opted to rule himself out of the rest of the tour, a move which has attracted praise from Jones.
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“He is such an honest boy – he didn’t want to fudge it,” the Australian coach said. “It was a very brave and courageous decision.
“It is about him being a very ethical rugby player.”
Jones extended the praise to Ben Youngs, who withdrew from the tour earlier this month after finding out brother Tom’s wife Tiffany was terminally ill.
“For me, it’s a good indication of the ethics of our players,” Jones said.
“They don’t feel emotionally or physically right to play and, rather than go there and try to fudge their way through the tour, they have done the right thing.”
