Knee operation likely to rule Tuilagi out of England’s autumn Tests
Manu Tuilagi’s hopes of a return to the England squad for the autumn internationals have suffered another major setback after the Leicester centre picked up a fresh knee injury that is likely to sideline him for up to six weeks.
Tuilagi, who was sent home in disgrace from an England training camp last month after a late night drinking session, is expected to undergo surgery today and is almost certain to miss out on selection for Eddie Jones’s squad for the three Tests against Australia, Argentina and Fiji in November.
The 26-year-old made a try-scoring return for Leicester in the defeat by Bath at Welford Road on Sunday but a scan on Tuesday revealed he has sustained minor ligament damage.
Jones had opened the door for Tuilagi’s return to his squad by claiming on Tuesday that his exile could end as long as there were no more off-the-field misdemeanours. However the latest setback to his left knee is likely to severely affect his chances of reclaiming his place in the England squad given his previous injury problems. Tuilagi has only just returned to action after a seven-month lay-off with a serious injury to his right knee he sustained in January.
The Leicester player has made just one appearance off the bench for England since Jones took charge in 2015 and has not started a Test match for his country since 2014.
Successive injury problems have limited his appearances with Leicester to just 17 in the last three years. Tuilagi’s inclusion in the three-day England camp last month had been seen as the first steps back to the Test arena for him after a horrendous run of injuries including chest, groin and knee injuries.
Even if Tuilagi is able to return by mid-october, it would leave him little opportunity to prove his form before Jones names his squad for the autumn on Oct 26.
Meanwhile, seven England Women’s players have lost their professional contracts following the announcement of the new sevens squad for the 2017-18 season. They include five of England’s starters from the Women’s Rugby World Cup final which took place last month: Rachael Burford, Amy Cokayne, Katy Mclean, Marlie Packer and Kay Wilson. The other two are Amber Reed, a replacement in the final against New Zealand, and veteran back Danielle Waterman.