Billy Vunipola in race to be fit for Leinster vs Saracens as Mark McCall expresses concern over latest injury

England No 8 is recovering from a fractured arm suffered in January and his his planned return in the Champions Cup quarter-final is 'a little bit uncertain'

Billy Vunipola suffered a fractured forearm in the draw between Saracens and Ospreys in January (Getty)

Saracens No 8 Billy Vunipola is struggling to be fit in time for the club’s European Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster on 1 April, the Premiership team’s director of rugby Mark McCall has said.

The 25-year-old England international missed the Six Nations campaign after fracturing his arm playing for Saracens in January but was expected to return for the club’s trip to Dublin next month.

“It’s a little bit uncertain, Billy is in a race against time to be ready for the quarter-final,” McCall told reporters.

“We’ll make a call on what the surgeon says. If the arm isn’t right to play, then we won’t risk him. He’s been injured enough, we don’t want to re-injure him.

“Billy is very close to coming back but whether he makes the quarter-final, we’re not sure yet.”


 Billy Vunipola has suffered two seasons of injury setbacks 
 (Getty)

The arm injury was the latest setback in a wretched spell for Vunipola, who also missed last year’s British and Irish Lions Tour and England’s autumn internationals due to serious shoulder and knee injuries respectively.

Vunipola last played for England in their defeat by Ireland in the final match of the 2017 Six Nations campaign and head coach Eddie Jones will be keen to see the forward return for the three-test tour of South Africa in June.

Reuters