Tuilagi so happy to cast off the doubts

MANU TUILAGI’S fears that he may never wear an England shirt again were finally banished yesterday when he was selected for the first time in two-and-a-half years.

Tuilagi, below, who will be deployed off the bench against South Africa, has been plagued by a succession of injuries but has finally shaken off the curse.

“We’re all human beings. We have our feelings. You can be the strongest person but you always have your doubts,” he said.

“It is nice to be back here with the boys. It’s what I want to be doing – training with the best players in England. You learn from them. “I’m feeling better and better every time I get another 80 for Leicester, which is natural. The only way you can get match fitness is by playing week in, week out. All the hard work you do is for this – the highest achievement in your field.”

Tuilagi, 27, has played just 43 matches for club and country over the past five seasons and is still operating at some way short of full capacity.

But even an 80 per cent he is quite some specimen. He has been bench-pressing 130kgs in the gym in Portugal and squatting 170kgs. He offers a physical threat like no other in the England backline.

“South Africa is always a physical game, you have to match them, otherwise it will be a long day,” he said.

“With England you have to get up to speed pretty quickly but the older you get the more you understand how the game works. I guess that helps,” he said.

“It’s not much different from what you do at your club. The plays are all the same but with different names.”