England and Saracens star Billy Vunipola has revealed that kicking an Australian rules football was the reason behind his most recent injury, the BBC report.
The number eight has been selected by head coach Eddie Jones to travel with the England squad for their tour of South Africa.
However, Vunipola has recently been struggling with a hamstring problem which saw him come off at half-time in the Premiership semi-final win over Wasps.
Vunipola did recover in time to play an hour in the Premiership final victory over Exeter and has now revealed how he suffered the original injury.
It was my fault, I was doing AFL kicking and the hammy went tight. I trained fully the week before against Wasps [in the play-offs] and I felt really good. I didn’t tell the coaches that, but when I came off at half-time against Wasps I told them. I was like, ‘sorry guys, I was doing AFL kicking’. I stitched myself up there. I had to manage myself a bit better the week after. Now I feel strong again.
Despite Vunipola experiencing an injury interrupted season with his club, he will be a part of a 34 man England squad aiming to win a series in South Africa for the first time.
If Vunipola plays a Test, it will be his first for his country since last March.
