Big Joe can be England’s ‘point of difference’ if Tuilagi hit by injury

EDDIE Jones is confident he can get injury prone Manu Tuilagi to the World Cup but admits he has to come up with a plan for life without the centre in France.

Tuilagi has been included in England’s latest 36-man training squad who start a three-day camp, based in Richmond, today.

Waiting for Manu has become a familiar theme for head coach Jones who only got a decent run of games into him in 2019 when England got to the World Cup final in Japan and Tuilagi played 13 out of 15 internationals.

Since then, Jones’ side have played 24 Tests and Tuilagi has featured in just six of them as his injury jinx struck once again.

Jones says England and Sale will be pulling out all the stops to get Tuilagi over the Channel next year but he could use Joe Cokanasiga coming off his wing as a wrecking ball alternative.

Asked if Tuilagi can get there, Jones said: “100 per cent. But if you haven’t got the power to win collisions you’ve got to find another way to win collisions.

“We need to go in with an outlook that maybe he’s there, and maybe he’s not, and if he’s not there we have to find another way.

“If we can get someone like Joe Cokanasiga fit and playing consistently, it gives you a point of difference. Imagine having Cokanasiga on one wing and Henry Arundell on the other. That’s a frightening combination. We’ve just got to wait and see who is available, and then be able to manufacture different ways to win collisions.

“There is increasingly a desire between the RFU, the English staff, and the Sale staff to work together in a more collaborative manner. The closer we can get to Manu being at his best for Sale, then allowing him to be at his best for us the better it is. We continue to have ongoing dialogue.”

Arundell, the London Irish teenager who can play full-back or wing, has been the talk of the town since conjuring eye-catching tries against Wasps and Toulon recently.

Jones was at the Wasps game where Arundell impressed by recovering his composure after knocking