England captain Chris Robshaw says Saracens star Billy Vunipola was the Red Rose’s best player in the Six Nations and praised the burly No.8 for bouncing back to form.

Robshaw will lead England on home soil in this year’s Rugby World Cup, and he will most likely do so alongside Vunipola in the pack when their campaign gets under way against Fiji on September 18.

Vunipola’s form dipped alarmingly last autumn and, after disappointing displays against New Zealand and South Africa, the 22-year-old lost his place to Ben Morgan.

Yet Morgan’s ankle injury in January allowed Vunipola a reprieve, and the Sarries forward took full advantage with some devastating performances as England came within a whisker of winning the Six Nations for the first time since 2011.

Robshaw was suitably impressed and, with Morgan still facing a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, the skipper is convinced Vunipola can perform on the biggest stage of all.

“Billy was tremendous throughout the Six Nations,” said Robshaw. “He had a little bit of a dip in the QBE series but then he came back so strongly.

“He went back to his club, he focused on his game and to be shortlisted for the Six Nations awards is so impressive.

“I thought he was England’s best player. He was tremendous throughout the whole campaign and I’m pleased for him that he was given the faith to play 80 minutes as well.

“It was the first time he was given that and Billy has rewarded that faith and really excelled.”

England’s attack combined with devastating effect during the Six Nations with Stuart Lancaster’s side racking up a stunning 157 points in five games.

Young pretenders like Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson and George Ford all came to the fore and 28-year-old Robshaw admits the entire squad is relishing the task of taking on the world’s best.

“I can’t wait, it is very exciting,” added the Harlequins flanker. “We are almost into camp now and once we are there it will be extremely intense and extremely challenging but it’s a place you want to be.

“It is something we have been looking forward to for a long time and it has been spoken about for a long time.

“I think the beauty of it is having it in England and to feel that buzz around the whole country, whether it is games in Newcastle, Exeter or Brighton – and of course Twickenham being the hub of it.

“We are progressing and we have done a lot recently. Look at the way our attack has taken shape in the last Six Nations campaign, I think that was the biggest thing we had to add to our armoury.”

“People say to be successful in the World Cup you have to have a squad. It’s not so much about the XV, it’s about the 30 there and – if injuries happen – the other guys coming in from the training squad.”

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