Eddie set to drop Nowell
Tuilagi says ferry antics are long behind him on return for England
THE FIRST time Manu Tuilagi played against France, England were knocked out of the 2011 World Cup and the next day he was in trouble for jumping off a ferry into Auckland Harbour.
It all seems like a surreal memory from a different lifetime. The Leicester centre has grown up. The recklessness of youth has faded with the passing of years, the onset of parenthood and the personal ordeal of so many protracted injuries.
On Sunday, a mellower, wiser Tuilagi ( below) will start for England against France, in round two of this Guinness Six Nations campaign. Last weekend’s glorious occasion in Dublin was the 27-year- old’s first championship start since March 2013, after a Test comeback off the bench in November.
Asked if he could recall his first encounter with the French, in the World Cup quarter- final at Eden Park which marked the end of Martin Johnson’s tenure as manager, Tuilagi said: ‘Oh yes, I remember. It was a good game. We had most of the ball, we attacked really well, we started really well, especially in the first half — we just didn’t finish off our opportunities. They got to the final in the end, fair play to them.’
The following day, his impromptu dip in the harbour added to the catalogue of controversies which had blighted the campaign around New Zealand.
‘That feels like a long time ago,’ said Tuilagi yesterday. ‘As you grow up, you live and you learn. All the things that have happened. You make your bed and you’ve got to lie in it. That’s life. You learn and try to be better as a person.’
There have been all manner of incidents and accidents since then. Tuilagi’s primary challenge has been to stay in one piece. He has had so many injury setbacks — especially a groin issue which plagued him — that there have been profound doubts about his ability to ever again be a destructive midfield force.
He tried to remain positive, but it was difficult at times. ‘I always had in my mind when I was injured that I’d be back playing,’ he said. ‘That’s what got me going when I was inside doing my rehab. The boys were outside and I told myself I’d get back out there in the end. You have doubts, you are out of the game for a long time. But I took it week by week when I came back, just to get everything right so I could train fully and then be able to play on the weekend. When you are older, you have to look after your body and for me that’s doing all the things off field to be able to perform on it.’
In fact, Tuilagi has made only 28 Test appearances for his country in seven-and-a-half years. There has been a palpable public desire to see him back. That much was evident when he came on as a replacement against Australia at Twickenham in November.
Owen Farrell spoke last week about the noise from the crowd which greeted Tuilagi’s arrival and the man himself reflected on that warm reception, saying: ‘It did mean a lot to me. I remember I just wanted to get on as quick as possible and then there was a big cheer. It was amazing. When you think back to all the bad times, it makes it feel better.
‘France are tough opponents and they showed last Friday how good they can be. In that first half I thought, “They are back to their normal selves, playing with French flair”. It was unfortunate they lost at the end but fair play to Wales.’
England’s win over Ireland last Saturday was a ‘special’ event for Tuilagi, given all that he has been through.
But he added: ‘For us, last week is done. It was a massive win, but it is done. We come in, set the game plan for France straight away and move on. Of course you take the momentum with you, but it’s about what we can do on Sunday and we have to prepare ourselves for that.’
He speaks with a calm authority and maturity these days. Tuilagi is savouring his second chapter with England. He is still as joyful in his work as ever, but he is more sensible now. Whatever the result on Sunday, don’t expect to see him taking a dip in the Thames.