Mako Vunipola on the undisputed FIFA king of the Lions squad

Patrick McCarry

“Tony Finau’s my cousin, you know? Tongan cousins!”

Mako Vunipola may be connected to the PGA Tour star through ‘my uncle’s dog-walker’s mate’, but he has not picked up much of his golfing skills.

The Saracens and England prop has enjoyed getting out for some golf a couple of times of the British & Irish Lions Tour. Anything to get out of the hotel room, be it in Jersey or South Africa.

Vunipola, who is on the bench for the Lions’ Third Test against the Springboks, caught up with his Sarries teammate Alex Goode on a recent House of Rugby Lions Series episode [LISTEN from 29:00 below] and shared some great insights into life on tour.

Mako Vunipola is on his third tour with the British and Irish Lions. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The Covid-19 restrictions that have been in place before and during the Lions’ tour to South Africa has meant the socialising or ‘team-bonding’ element of usual Lions jaunts has been somewhat diluted.

That does not mean the 2021 crop have not had some beers after games, held their court sessions or come up with novel ways to get the team bonding process going.

“With the Covid bubble and life in the hotel, you end up spending more time with the boys anyway,” says Mako Vunipola. “It has brought us closer together as a group, to be honest.

“It means that you have to socialise more with people you don’t like… Tom Curry! Ah, he’s a good boy!

“It’s a sacrifice you have to make. The other boys are doing it as well. These are the things you have to do, to be involved in these big games. Everyone is doing the same thing.”

Vunipola says Jamie George and Elliot Daly – two Sarries and England teammates – are leading the charge on the Lions’ social committee. “They book themselves the best tee times,” he says, “but, to be fair, they’ve been very good at holding coffee mornings and making coffees for the boys.

“Tadhg Beirne has baked a few cookies as well. He’s quite a good baker… but I’ve yet to sample one of his cookies yet!”

If they ever do a Celebrity Bake-Off sports stars special, Tadhg Beirne could win top prize. (Credit: Getty Images)

With each player having his own room, as opposed to bunking in with players from different countries, computer games have brought the squad together, and given plenty of opportunities for slagging.

“I think a lot of my videos on Instagram,” Bundee Aki recently remarked, “are me beating Owen Farrell at FIFA, and he doesn’t like it.”

Shoot ‘Em Up games are popular, but nothing brings the wider squad together like a bit of FIFA.

“We played a FIFA tournament when were were together in Jersey,” he says, “and I got to the final.

“Josh Adams absolutely killed me. My pride is still dented with that.”

While Lions hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie is a renowned gamer, it seems he has nothing on Vunipola and Adams, the Wales winger, when it comes to FIFA.

Aside from the computer games, Vunipola has been watching the comedy-drama ‘Working Mums’ on Netflix. “It’s all right, to be fair!” he says.

The ‘Bobby Cup’ is still in existence, and now on its’ fourth tour. Introduced to reward fun-loving Lions tourists, by fitness coach Bobby Stridgeon, there is usually a celebrity or well-known sports star asked to announce the weekly winner.

Whoever lined up Usain Bolt to make an announcement, earlier on the tour, really out-did themselves.

“When he came up on the screen, we all went ‘Wooaaaaahhh!'”