The man-of-the-match number eight was immense in the 15-9 Murrayfield victory that gave Jones a satisfying first taste of the Six Nations, carrying repeatedly with real menace, always making ground and dragging in Scottish defenders galore.
Openside flank James Haskell also had a game to remember, while Chris Robshaw slotted in solidly enough on the blindside.
Scotland edged the breakdown battle with their superior speed and agility, and Jones is likely to tweak his back row once he settles in, but Vunipola looks to be at the back of the scrum for the duration.
"I’ve read all the articles about him being too slow to be a number eight but he didn’t look that way to me. His carrying was outstanding, as was his defence," said Jones, who earlier in the week had named Vunipola as one of his three vice-captains to Dylan Hartley.
"He’s a big guy with footwork; maybe he didn’t realise he had that, but he’s starting to use it now. He’s a great reader of the game. He attacks well off the nine and we’re trying to get him to do more wider, but he’s still young at 22."
Pundit Stuart Barnes said Vunipola’s performance was "ominous for the rest of England’s Six Nations opponents", starting with Italy in Rome next Sunday.
Jones has suggested that he might use that game to experiment a little more after opting for a tried-and-tested squad and, eventually, familiar forward-based tactics against Scotland.
The feeling among England fans in the bars of Edinburgh was that the performance was largely forgettable but, in the circumstances, completely acceptable.
"There is not a Six Nations coach in history who wouldn’t settle for an away win at Murrayfield in their first game and I can assure you Eddie Jones will be very happy with that," England’s World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward wrote in the Daily Mail.
"You can pick holes in their performance but they needed a significant win to boost confidence after the World Cup and when they train on Monday there will be a spring in their step."
(Editing by Alan Baldwin)
