Wednesday 20 February 2019 18:21, UK
England No 8 Billy Vunipola is putting extra pressure on himself to perform against Wales on Saturday, with his brother Mako and influential second-row Maro Itoje both out through injury.
Loosehead prop Mako Vunipola will miss the rest of the Six Nations after suffering an ankle ligament injury against France, while Itoje has failed to recover in time from a knee ligament injury he picked up against Ireland.
Prior to this year's Six Nations, Billy Vunipola had picked up just four England caps since the autumn of 2016 due a series of arm, shoulder and knee injuries.
The 26-year-old looked good in the wins over Ireland and France but, with his confidence and fitness building, he feels he is capable of an even bigger game at the Principality Stadium this weekend.
"It will be tough because we are missing my brother even though we have great players to replace him," Vunipola told Sky Sports News.
"Also we are missing Maro so it is probably a good week for me to try and play a better game than I have been in the last two weeks.
"I have been okay. I have been out of the international fold on a consistent basis for a while. I think it is important that I try and have a good game on Saturday.
"I do feel there is more to come. It is easy when you are in this environment to have the best foods and drop a little bit of weight. From the first week I walked in here I have dropped a few kilos so hopefully I can produce something close to my best at the weekend."
Asked if playing at a lighter weight helps him, Vunipola added: "Definitely. It always does. I can go for longer at a better level. When you are carrying a bit of timber on your back a few extra kilos does not help."
The back row will be a key area of focus for both teams this weekend.
England have found a good balance with Mark Wilson and Tom Curry at the flanker positions and Vunipola returning at No 8.
They will face a formidable Welsh unit, likely to feature Josh Navidi starting alongside British and Irish Lions Justin Tupiric and Ross Moriarty.
Vunipola believes winning the battle at the breakdown will be crucial for both teams.
"It is massive. They have a wealth of talent queuing up in those positions. They are very lucky," Vunipola said.
"Thomas Young played in the last game against Italy so they have got threats that are there but probably won't be playing.
"We know there is a massive threat at the breakdown but that is not just with Wales. We faced the same with Ireland and France, who love to attack the ball.
"It is important that we are diligent with our breakdown and we have talked a lot about it, especially if we want our attack to flow and especially if we want to make things happen, our breakdown is massive."
When asked what is the key to winning that battle, Vunipola said: "I think getting there early and making sure that there is not a battle over the ball.
"As soon as you spend two or three seconds trying to win the ball, that is already two or three seconds too long for your No 9 and the defensive line is set.
"I think both teams know that and it is an area for us both to try and negate, but also to try and attack, in terms of their attack."
