Mako Vunipola’s skills are even better than the All Blacks’, insists England rugby coach Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones believes Mako Vunipola is on course to become a world-class England player following a storming start to the season.

Jones needs a core of players in that category to launch a viable bid for the 2019 World Cup in Japan but when asked during the last Six Nations if anyone in his squad fitted the bill, he said: “Not at the moment but we will have, in four years’ time.”

With Vunipola consistently impressing for Saracens in the Premiership and European Champions Cup, Jones is delighted to see how far the loosehead prop has taken his game in a short period of time. “People talk about the skills set the All Blacks have, well Mako has a skills set that is better than all those All Black tight forwards,” said the England coach.

Vunipola was a member of the series-winning 2013 Lions in Australia but, at that stage, still had technical problems with his scrum work. Under former England head coach Stuart Lancaster, Vunipola, now 25, played second fiddle to Joe Marler more often than not coming off the bench to replace the Harlequins star.

Marler missed the summer tour to Australia — he needed a break after his disciplinary problems which included being banned for calling Wales’s Samson Lee “gypsy boy” — and has been hampered by concussion this season.

Vunipola has won 25 of his 35 England caps from the bench but heads into the four autumn Tests, starting with South Africa at Twickenham on November 12, with the No1 jersey his to lose. Jones said: “Mako is moving in the right direction towards world class. Coming back from the Australian tour he has done really well. He is in a good place and has always had the talent.

“If you look at [brother] Billy and Mako in terms of raw talent then there is not that much difference. Maybe, Billy has been a bit more driven because he is the younger.

“Mako is now finding that drive himself and his game just keeps on developing. Sometimes, it is hard to tell if it is Mako or Billy carrying the ball and the passes he has thrown in European matches have been exceptional.

“His scrum work is consistent and he has that real thirst to be good every game when, previously, it has been a been a bit up and down.”

Jones is encouraged by Marler’s drive to regain lost ground, saying: “I have been really impressed with how Joe has rediscovered his love for the game. He still spends too much time in the sin bin and I have told him he is half a yard off being back to his best and he will get that back and really push Mako.”