A brutal showing of tough love from Warren Gatland proved to have a huge effect on Mako Vunipola during the British and Irish Lions Tour of 2021. The Saracens legend, who now plays for French side Vannes, had a tremendous international career, but four years ago was a difficult one for multiple reasons. The Sarries' relegation resulted in him spending the campaign in the second tier of English rugby before an achilles injury ruled him out of the first weekend of the 2021 Six Nations. All of this resulted in him turning up for the Lions' tour in less-than-satisfactory physical condition. Former Wales head coach Gatland was not satisfied with Vunipola's physical state when he reported for duty ahead of the tour of South Africa. And it did not take long for him to deliver the kind of message that prompts any top sportsman into action. Vunipola had just played a leading role in the Lions' 22-17 victory over South Africa in the first test. His scrummaging after coming off the bench in the first test in Cape Town proved to be crucial for the whole tour. After the match, Gatland revealed the brutally honest conversation he had with the now 34-year-old, who retired from international test rugby in January 2024, before the clash against the Springboks. Gatland, who resigned from managing Wales in February, said: "We have been really pleased with Mako. "And I was really honest with him and just said, 'Mate, I didn't feel when you came into the squad that your fitness levels are as good as they should be for international rugby.' "He agreed with me and we have changed a bit of his scrummaging technique and him coming off the bench at the moment - he has made a huge impact. He has scrummaged exceptionally well, carries great, is a great defender and we will see what happens over the next few days." Vunipola was not in the Lions' training camp in Jersey for the first week, but did his own fitness work and preparation behind the scenes. After Gatland's comments, he offered an insight into the work he put in to get his fitness up to scratch. He said: "Fitness is something I’ve always had to try and keep on top of since I started, really. It was obviously a step up, coming into the Lions camp having not been in for the first week of Jersey. "I knew that condition-wise I was in good hands with the strength and conditioning staff and the medical staff to get me to a place where I'm able to help the team. It's one of those things where there are no shortcuts, it's just hard work, extras off the field with the team around me." His impressive display in the first test earned him a start in the second test, which saw South Africa emerge victorious with a convincing 27-9 scoreline. Vunipola was dropped from the XV for the third test, but, in similar fashion to the first, he came off the bench and helped the Lions secure a 19-16 victory. He finished the tour with nine consecutive test match appearances in what proved to be his final spell with the Lions. Vunipola walked away from international test rugby in January 2024, retiring with 79 international caps for England. Over the course of his career, the New Zealand-born ace won the 2016 Six Nations Grand Slam and was part of the squad that reached the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.