England believe Manu Tuilagi will add a “new dimension”, should the powerful but injury-prone centre make his latest comeback against Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday.
At his best, the 30-year-old is commanding and deceptively skilful in both attack and defence, but he has effectively missed two-thirds of England’s games since making his Test debut in 2011, mainly with groin and hamstring problems. He has collected 46 caps.
Most recently, Tuilagi was sidelined for three months with a torn hamstring but he is available for a match key to England’s hopes of challenging for the Six Nations title.
“Manu adds lot – his physical presence, his footwork, his leg speed,” England attack coach Martin Gleeson told reporters on Tuesday. “The things he can do, not many other people can do.
“That gives you a new dimension to play off. It’s great having him back in the mix for selection.”
England have struggled to field a settled midfield combination since their 2003 World Cup-winning centre pairing of Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood.
Since Tuilagi’s debut alone, England have deployed 23 centres in no fewer than 49 different partnerships.
But there were signs during the November programme that a combination of Tuilagi and Henry Slade could offer England the right balance of physical threat and playmaking ability.
“He gives us that little bit of flexibility in what we can do,” said Gleeson. “Sladey and Manu played really well together in the autumn and have done previously … it will be interesting if they both take the field.”
In the pack, Courtney Lawes could return after missing the first two rounds due to a concussion, with England coach Eddie Jones also having to decide whether to reinstate the British & Irish Lions flank as captain.
Fellow back rower Tom Curry deputised as skipper in a loss to Scotland and the thrashing of Italy, with first-choice captain Owen Farrell out of the entire tournament with an ankle injury.
“Tom’s led with his actions,” said Gleeson of the 23-year-old Curry, England’s youngest captain since Will Carling in 1988.
“His stint against Italy was immense. He’s been really good for us and whether he’s captain or not, he’ll continue to be a pivotal part of the team.
“Courtney’s been brilliant. He started training again a little while ago and he’s been ramping it up slowly.”
Reigning champions Wales have also won one and lost one of their opening two matches.
While many titles have been won with one defeat, two defeats usually spell the end of a team’s Championship ambitions.
That explains why England, the losing finalists at the 2019 World Cup, regard this weekend’s clash as a knockout match.
“It’s a big game and we’re treating it like a quarter-final,” said Gleeson. We have to target three wins [over Wales, Ireland and France].
“It’s knockout stages for us. If we don’t get the result on Saturday, we’re out.”
Both England and Wales are due to name their teams on Thursday.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Manu Tuilagi / Getty Images
