Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TUILAGI’S POISED TO JOIN SALE
MANU TUILAGI is poised to join Sale Sharks and give his England career the kiss of life.
Leicester confirmed the Red Rose centre’s departure from Welford Road on Friday after he refused to accept a 25 per cent pay cut.
With his management enquiring about a lucrative move to France’s
Top 14, it was feared he would disqualify himself from England duty by leaving the Premiership.
But despite early denials from Sharks boss Steve Diamond, Tuilagi appears to have binned plans to cross the Channel and will instead make the far shorter trip from Leicester to Salford.
Sale declined to comment last night on a move which will hand the Premiership’s second-placed side a significant boost in their bid for a first league title since 2006.
But it is expected Tuilagi’s signing will be confirmed early this week, creating a formidable Sharks midfield partnership with Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
BEN YOUNGS is desperate for England to confirm their next international fixture – so he can finally escape the ‘nervous nineties’.
The most-capped back in Red Rose history was denied his century of appearances when the final round of Six Nations games was canned in March, leaving him stranded on 99.
Rugby remains in lockdown, with the Premiership not due back until August 14 and no confirmed date for the return of the international game.
“Hopefully there’s a game at some point!” said Youngs, who turns 31 in September. “We’ve no idea how the autumn is going to look.
“Soon would be nice, or I’m going to get asked the question a lot!”
Last night Youngs’ British and Irish Lions scrum-half rival Conor Murray backed the England star as a main contender to wear the No.9 jersey in next summer’s three-Test Lions series against South Africa.
Murray, who started by highlighting the Wales trio of great No.9s – Tomos Williams, Rhys Webb and Gareth Davies – added: “And then you’ve got Ben, nearing 100 caps, who had an unbelievable World Cup.”
With one year until the British & Irish Lions tour South Africa in
2021, watch BT Sport’s new series ‘Lions Call’ with Brian O’Driscoll on the BT Sport YouTube channel youtube.com/btsport