"There's a risk him going out and eating Kobe beef tonight. We feel like it's much better he plays rugby than goes out and eats beef"
Tuesday 24 September 2019 17:00, UK
England head coach Eddie Jones says the beef in Kobe is a bigger risk to Billy Vunipola than a possible injury against the USA.
Jones made 10 changes to his starting line-up for Thursday's Rugby World Cup game against the United States, with England having just a four-day turnaround following their tournament opener against Tonga on Sunday.
George Ford captains the team in place of Owen Farrell and retains his place at fly-half. There is a new centre combination in Piers Francis and Jonathan Joseph, while Manu Tuilagi, who scored two tries and was England's best player in the 35-3 win over Tonga, is rested completely and Farrell is on the bench.
Vunipola appeared in all of England's warm-up games and, despite being subjected to some fierce Tongan tackling, has been chosen by Jones to start against the Americans.
"There's a risk him going out and eating Kobe beef tonight. We feel like it's much better he plays rugby than goes out and eats beef," said Jones.
"He loves playing rugby, the best way to keep him fit is to play him and he's an influential player in our team."
In announcing the squad for Thursday's game, Jones said it was important to manage players' workloads.
"It is our best 23 and we have looked at some players that would benefit not playing in this game so have kept them out of the 23," he said.
"But it is a great opportunity for another set of players to do the team proud."
With the United States playing their first game of the tournament, Jones is expecting a physical test in the Pool C encounter.
"USA are a tough, physical team who are extremely well coached by Gary Gold," he said. "They have prepared two weeks with the marines for this game so they will be fit, tough and be playing for the pride of their country.
"Our aim is to be a little bit tidier, particularly in our attack, we'd like to execute a little bit better. There was a lot of effort in our game on Sunday but not the execution."
