Billy Vunipola responds to Sale Sharks’ controversial attack on Saracens
Sale Sharks went on the offensive this week on social media ahead of their Gallagher Premiership final against Saracens on Saturday.
The Sharks Twitter account Tweeted “Everyone’s A Shark” alongside a series of Tweets from fans from other clubs showing their support for Sale this weekend.
A combination of success on the field and the salary cap scandal has generated a number of haters for the London club over the past few years, hence the reason for the Tweet. Then again, this social media attack has not gone down too well either, with plenty of people criticising the club for making an attack like that.
Not only will this serve as motivation for Saracens in their pursuit of a sixth Premiership title, but Sale head coach Alex Sanderson is a former Saracens player and coach, and has spoken before about the appreciation he has for his former club.
While the Tweet has proven to be fairly divisive, one person that seems to be on board with it is Saracens and England star Billy Vunipola.
The No8 Tweeted in response to the post: “I don’t mind it! Bit of theatre to add to the occasion, we see it in boxing & UFC all the time. Embrace it!”
Take a look:
I don’t mind it! Bit of theatre to add to the occasion,we see it in boxing & ufc all the time. Embrace it! Leshgo 💪🏽 https://t.co/e3Zjxktvr3
— Billy Vunipola (@bvunipola) May 22, 2023
Saracens are probably not going to respond on social media, even though it would probably create a greater edge to the final than there already is.
Vunipola will not be playing in the final due to a long term knee injury, but his brother Mako will be. The prop has actually said ahead of the final that Saracens are blocking any outside noise ahead of the final, meaning the Tweet probably has been seen by few players.
“Last year we probably focused too much on the things outside, worrying about what people were saying and wanting to prove them wrong,” Mako said.
“It probably got to that we didn’t actually enjoy the occasion. We didn’t throw a punch in the final, and that’s credit to Leicester – they didn’t let us throw a punch.
“This year, we have just been trying to improve game by game, probably a little bit more focused on ourselves and what we can control, rather than worry (about) outside.
“You get emotion spikes in big games, and we have to be able to control that, make sure we channel it in the right way and put it towards our rugby.
“Last year, we didn’t really fire a shot, and that was down to Leicester being able to dictate the way the game went.
“We weren’t able to attack because we didn’t work hard enough or we didn’t adjust well enough. Hopefully, we can do that this time.”
