‘We need new Manu dialogue’
EDDIE JONES has pledged that England and Sale will now work “in a more collaborative manner” to get Manu Tuilagi to the World Cup fit and firing.
Tuilagi, 31, has won only six caps since the 2019 World Cup Final, due to injury – and this season broke down twice on England duty.
The second time came after Tuilagi had been declared “better than ever” by Alex Sanderson, his Sale boss.
Sanderson later said that one of the England sessions, which left Tuilagi with a low-grade hamstring strain, was of a higher load than the star was used to with Sharks.
Jones does not need telling how important the 16 stone centre is. The England chief said: “If you haven’t got the power to win collisions you’ve got to find another way.
“And I can tell you that’s bloody hard because the game is about collisions at the moment.”
He remains adamant that what works in club rugby is inadequate for the Test arena as “you have
got to equip a player to handle the most difficult parts of the game”.
But he revealed: “There is increasingly a desire between the RFU, the English staff, and the Sale staff to work together in a more collaborative manner.
“We continue to have dialogue and we’ll get the best solution we can. Am I confident we can get him to the World Cup fit? Yeah, 100 percent.”
Jones volunteered that Henry Arundell, the uncapped 19-year-old from London Irish, could be a piece in the jigsaw too.
“Gas, guts and power are the prerequisites,” said Jones. “Arundell has got gas, we don’t whether he has got guts, he looks like he has enough power.
“Imagine Joe Cokanasiga on one wing and Arundell on the other. A frightening combination.”