It’s an injury women get giving birth!
MANU TUILAGI on witch doctors, snooker and his latest lay-off...
‘I’m feeling better after every game’
IT TURNS out that Manu Tuilagi has an interest in making big breaks on more than one type of flat, green surface. Deprived of game-time on grass, the England centre has turned to the baize.
During so many prolonged, enforced periods of inactivity, the 27-year-old has nurtured a love of snooker. While struggling to cope with the consequences of an outdoor pursuit based on aggressive power and harsh collisions, Tuilagi has immersed himself in an indoor game with emphasis on delicate skill; where breaks are made holding a cue rather than a ball. The classic images are of the midfield wrecking ball causing havoc, or the Anglo-Samoan giant cutting a laid-back figure in vest and flip-flops laughing and joking around. None of that chimes with his new sporting passion.
‘Before I had my daughter, Leilani (who is five months old), I used to play a bit of snooker after training,’ said Tuilagi. ‘It was quite nice and relaxing. I’m not too bad at it. My highest break in practice is 55 and in a match it’s 40. You have to dress up for it, which is good. It’s a very serious game. It’s very quiet — a bit too quiet. A few of the Tigers boys play. We’ve just finished our summer league.’
Tuilagi watched the World Championship final in Sheffield earlier this year, along with Leicester team-mate Ellis Genge. The two imposing figures stood out in such refined surroundings.
‘We went to the Crucible and it was awesome,’ said Tuilagi.
‘It was John Higgins against Mark Williams in the final and Williams won. But we were disappointed that Ronnie O’Sullivan wasn’t there.’
Imagining Tuilagi in a world of bow ties, white gloves and audience silence requires a certain mental leap — as does picturing the weapon of mass destruction changing nappies in his role as a new father. But, in fact, such duties come easily.
‘I’ve been changing nappies a long time,’ said Manu. ‘I’ve had a lot of nieces and nephews — about 20 of them now and I used to look after a lot of them.’
These are the matters which dominate Tuilagi’s attention away from the public gaze which is where he has spent most of his time in recent years. So many injuries have punctuated his career that many in the game have wondered if he had a future at all. For someone so genetically well-equipped for his chosen profession, he has found it almost impossible to stay in one piece, in order to pursue it properly.
The ordeal has dragged on and on, through countless twists and turns, pulls and tears and strains. Tuilagi has kept a low profile during his periods of rehab, so it is rare to hear his views about what he has been through. Speaking at Leicester’s training ground this week, he said: ‘You always say you will get back, but you have a lot of dark days as well.
‘All the boys helped me stay positive. I think there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I always think I will get back. Nothing changes. Otherwise there is no point being here and playing. It’s been very tough, but that’s just life. We have Matt Thombs, the psychologist, who comes in every month and sees quite a lot of the boys. I always see him and chat to him.’
Asked if he has any regrets about how his career has unfolded, after his rapid rise to prominence, Tuilagi added: ‘No, because whatever happens in your life, you can’t change. You’ve got to accept it and learn from it. Sometimes I wish I’d never got injured but you’ve got control of your life and you’ve only got yourself to blame for whatever happens. Everything happens for a reason.’
He has drawn comfort from how Jonny Wilkinson came through a torrid spell of injury setbacks to enjoy a fulfilling end to his career. Closer to home, Tuilagi has been inspired by his Tigers team-mate Mathew Tait, saying: ‘He had exactly the same groin injury as I had and he has come back. That gives me a lot of hope. It’s an injury most pregnant women get, when they give birth!’
There was a time last year when he didn’t know if he would ever be fully fit again, which is why he returned to Samoa to seek guidance from a witch doctor.
‘We’re very superstitious people,’ he said. ‘I thought there was no harm in going back and trying to fix it.’ He was told by the witch doctor that he was being stalked by three evil female spirits, which were then banished. Whether a coincidence or not, he is steadily getting back to his best. Tomorrow, he will make a fourth successive start, while the home win against Newcastle brought a try from halfway which was vintage Tuilagi. Eddie Jones has taken note and picked him for next week’s England training camp.
‘He keeps in touch with me,’ said Tuilagi. ‘He’ll text me probably once a month. It’s nice. He’s just checking up how I’m going, how I’m feeling. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling better and better after every game. I know I’ll get there.’
That is heartening news for club and country. If Tuilagi can back up his conviction that his best years are still ahead of him, he can provide the X-factor that Leicester need for a swift revival — and that England will need at the World Cup.