Billy Vunipola warns rugby players could go on strike

Rugby star Billy Vunipola has warned that players could go on strike if the rugby season isn’t shortened.

In an interview with The Times, Vunipola said that his body “could not handle” the demands of playing Premiership and international rugby.

After a tough season last year, the 24-year-old ended up missing the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in order to undergo surgery on his knee and shoulder.

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He told The Times that it comes down to too much rugby being played: “Everyone complains that they keep pushing the salary cap up but we need more players. It’s not about money, it’s about the toil we��re put through.

“Something is going to give. Something might happen where we follow the NFL or NBA, where they had a lockout. I’m not saying I’m going to start it, but I feel like something needs to happen for the suits to realise these guys are serious.

“It comes down to how much we play. My body could not handle it. I might think I’m strong and tough but I’m not. I just got worn down. The suits are always talking about it but they have never played nine months in today’s rugby. It’s something I would love to change – play less.”

The42.ie reports that top rugby players can be involved in 12 international matches and up to 30 or more club fixtures during a season.

Meanwhile, Vunipola will return from injury tomorrow when European champions Saracens take on Newcastle at the Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia.

John Mitchell, the former US Eagles head coach, believes the Stateside Premiership fixture is a “waste of time”.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Mitchell said: “These one-off games, in my view, are good in areas of America where there is a rugby population, like New York, where we had close to a 25,000 crowd for the US vs. Ireland Test in June.

“You need to take these games where rugby is strong because it is a total waste of time if you don’t. The north-east, mid-west, Texas and parts of California, that is where the rugby interest is.

“The seagull approach, as I call it, will never work in the US. It has to be about long-term relationships – and that means more frequent contact. I don’t get the logic of going to Philadelphia. If you go to those stronger areas you will get repeat crowds coming to the matches.

“The NFL has just started and the baseball is also getting lots of coverage. I think USA Rugby spread their resources too wide. If they have a vision to generate revenue for the game, then go to your markets.

“Then, when teams like Saracens and Newcastle come over, they can hold coaching clinics in those areas in the colleges and clubs.”

The Newcastle vs. Saracens clash in Philadelphia kicks-off tomorrow at 10pm UK time.