Mark McCall pays tribute to Billy and Mako Vunipola ahead of Saracens exit

Billy and Mako Vunipola have been lauded as two of rugby’s sharpest minds and fully equipped for elite coaching careers.

The Vunipola brothers’ departures from Saracens this summer have been confirmed, with the siblings poised to head across The Channel to Montpellier.

The England pair will end their Test careers on leaving home soil, with the RFU sticking to the policy of not selecting players based overseas.

The Vunipolas boast a combined 154 England caps and a lasting family legacy on the English game, for both club and country.

And Saracens boss Mark McCall paid rich tribute to the two generational talents.

“They’re two of the keenest rugby minds I’ve ever come across in players,” said Saracens boss McCall.

“They are two guys who could go on to coach if they choose to go down that path, because their understanding and their innate knowledge of the game is so strong.

“For us, they are two amazing players, two amazing people, and both at the heart of what the club has achieved.”

Loosehead prop Mako Vunipola traded Bristol for Saracens in 2011, before brother and No Billy arrived from Wasps two years later.

The brothers have helped Saracens claim three European crowns and five Premiership titles, with one more league triumph still possible before they leave.

Saracens boss McCall hailed the brothers of Tongan descent for helping transform elite forward play at both club and Test level.

“Mako’s ability on the ball, his ability to see space and take space; I just think all of a sudden you’ve seen props the world over have those attributes when maybe it wasn’t quite like that before,” said McCall.

“And you only need to watch some of the film of Billy's career to see that, for a while, he was the number one No 8 in the world. I think everyone knows that.”