Key Facts
| Squad | Saracens |
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| Position | Prop |
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| Age | 22 |
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| Height | 1.8m (5'11") |
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| Weight | 130kg (20st 6lb) |
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| Caps | 9 |
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As a member of an established Tongan rugby dynasty, Mako Vunipola is making his own mark on the game and played off the bench in seven consecutive matches for England before starting against Italy in March this year. He stepped up for his Test debut in the QBE International against Fiji last November after making only 15 Aviva Premiership appearances. He replaced Joe Marler after 46 minutes of the game that brought a 54-12 victory.
Mako signed for Saracens, the Premiership champions at the time, from Bristol Rugby in readiness for last season, also played on loan for Bedford Blues and was elevated to the England Saxons squad last summer.
He appeared for England U18 alongside his brother Viliami, better known as ‘Billy’, and qualified for England on residency, having been born in Wellington, New Zealand. He has spent more than ten years here. Their father Fe’ao, a hooker, emigrated to Wales to play for Pontypool in 1998 and won 32 caps for Tonga, including appearances in the 1995 and 1999 RWC. Remarkably, six of Mako’s uncles and his grandfather represented their native country. Fe’ao was head coach of High Wycombe and then Marlow before returning to Tonga.
Mako, who has studied Business and Management at the Open University, was a member of the Bristol Rugby Academy and spent time on loan to Clifton. He was educated at West Monmouth School, Castle School in Bristol and Millfield, having first played when nine at Griffithstown Junior School, near Pontypool before moving on to Newport High School. He said: “I played anywhere I wanted when I was younger but I always knew I would end up in the front row.”
His two years in the England U18 side included tours of Argentina and South Africa with the squad but his outstanding rugby memory in his formative years was beating France 18-0 in the 2008 Six Nations Festival in Cork. Mako added: “We dominated their pack and our backs played great running rugby. It made winning even better because we prevented them from scoring.”
He enjoyed a stunning season in 2010-11 by sharing in the England U20 Grand Slam and their impressive run to the IRB Junior World Championship final. In all, he played twelve times, including appearances against Wales, Italy, France, together with Ireland and Scotland, against whom he scored tries. A broken metatarsal, following by a hamstring tear, restricted him to eight Premiership games in his debut season for Saracens but during Mako’s lay-offs Saracens fitness coach Craig McFarlane reduced his body fat percentage while increasing his strength.
International Record
2012 Fj(R), A(R), SA(R), NZ(R) 2013 S(R), I(R), F(R), It, W(R)
Last updated: March 18, 2013
