TUILAGI IS JUST TONIC FOR JACK
Nowell seeks Manu’s injury help
He is always one of the first to text when he hears I have an injury
JACK NOWELL has revealed he has been helped through his recent injury woes by an expert in the field – Manu Tuilagi.
Tuilagi is no doctor but he is no stranger to the casualty department, with his latest knee problem ruling him out of yet another England expedition on their current trip Down Under, which starts with Saturday’s first Test here.
While centre Tuilagi made his Test debut in 2011, Nowell turned out in his first international three years later – and the pair could have chalked up more than 200 caps between them if they had kept out of surgical wards.
Instead,Tuilagi has made 46 England appearances and wing Nowell just 39. Nowell’s latest setback was suffering a broken arm against France in March, which made it touch-and-go as to whether he would make this tour.
And the 29-year-old has credited the Sale star with keeping his spirits up during the dark times. “I quite often speak to the chief,” said Nowell, a veteran of the 2016 3-0 series win against Australia.
“A few weeks before we came out here I went up to Manchester to see how he’s getting on.
“He’s always one of the first people to text me when he hears I’m injured at club level and vice-versa.
“We both know what we’re going through. A lot of the lads that are fit all the time, and are lucky enough to stay injury free, don’t really get that. When you’re in the unfortunate position and see the darkness of it – it’s quite tough. “Manu’s in a similar position to me in terms of his injures but I always look at him and think, ‘He’s always so positive’. The energy for him to get back is always there.
“He’s never one that I’ve noticed to be depressed, down or frustrated. I also try to be like that.
“They said the arm was a 10 to 12-week injury but it had to be a 10-week injury for me to be fit for Exeter and the Baa-Baas game and to come on this tour. It was quite tight towards the end.”
Nowell’s medical record, as well as his busted arm, includes knee, ankle, toe, hamstring, quad and calf injuries. Tuilagi’s is too long to catalogue and the pair have not played together since the 2019 World Cup pool match against Argentina. They were due to be reunited against Wales in February but Tuilagi’s hamstring went on the eve of the match.
“We kept saying we were like ships in the night,” Nowell said. “I try not to take things too seriously. If I started thinking like that, I think I’d get bogged down quite a bit.”