- Vunipola is in talks with Suntory Sungoliath about a possible move to Japan
- The 31-year-old number 8 has been offered a new contract to stay at Saracens
- Tightening budgets could play a role in whether Vunipola will make the move
Billy Vunipola is in talks with Suntory Sungoliath over a possible move to Japan – as the giant No.8 weighs up whether to stay with Saracens or agree to a lucrative spell in the Far East.
The 31-year-old was previously linked with the Tokyo team in Japanese rugby's booming League One, but opted to sign a contract extension with the Premier League champions. However, after a small role at the recent World Cup, the former England star is once again faced with a dilemma over his career path.
Mail Sport understands that discussions have taken place with Sungoliath, while Saracens have also been offered a new deal.
Crucially, the youngest of the Vunipola brothers is unlikely to be eligible for any of the RFU's new 'enhanced EPS' deals – the so-called hybrid contracts worth up to £150,000 for players seen as a key part of the plans of England head coach Steve Borthwick. .
This is an important factor in a time of austerity. As first revealed by Mail Sport, Saracens presented new terms to Maro Itoje worth barely 50 percent of Lions Lock's current £800,000-a-year contract, but it is believed he has agreed to stay, as one of the first recipients of a contract. improved EPS offering, together with Jamie George.
Billy Vunipola is in talks with Suntory Sungoliath about a possible move to Japan
Vunipola has been offered a new contract by Saracens, but tighter budgets could play a role
Billy Vunipola has been one of the London club's top earners for years, so if he too has been handed a heavily reduced contract and is not in line to land a top-up from the union, it increases the chances of him moving on . , for higher wages and lower work pressure in Japan.
Hordes of top players from the Southern Hemisphere are migrating to the Land of the Rising Sun, where All Black fly-half Richie Mo'unga is considered the highest-paid player in the world on £1.2 million a year.
After the group stages of England's World Cup campaign last autumn, Vunipola admitted: 'If I'm honest, I would have liked to play more games.'
Apart from a start against part-timers Chile and half an hour off the bench against Japan, he was limited to brief cameos as a substitute, with clubmate Ben Earl claiming that the number 8 shirt left Vunipola as the only specialist in the squad.
Whether he stays at Saracens or leaves, a new generation is jostling to fill the spot at the base of the national team's scrum. Earl will be challenged by Zach Mercer, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Willis, Alfie Barbeary and Greg Fisilau, among others.