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Ex-international admits scary encounter with Alesana Tuilagi still haunts him five years later
By Josh Raisey
Before England and Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi was terrorising defences across the rugby world, his brothers had already created a legacy of leaving a trail of semi-conscious players in their wake.
Ex-Tigers and Samoa winger Alesana, who won 38 Test caps (37 for the Samoans and one for Pacific Islands), was one brother from the iconic family that had a long history of making the life of wingers or fly-halves - many of whom were half his size - a living hell.
While it was unfortunate for some players to encounter him, that was ultimately their job and former Canada winger Phil Mackenzie has now shared memories of the occasion when he thought it was a good idea to square up to Tuilagi.
Toronto was the location, the Pacific Nations Cup the competition in 2015 in the lead-up to the World Cup in England which brought the curtain down on Tuilagi’s career.
Mackenzie recalled on Twitter: “Here’s a scary story… once upon a time I pushed Alesana Tuilagi. He pushed me back. I pushed him again. He then looked me straight in the eyes. I thought my life was over. It still haunts me to this day. The end.”
What is most remarkable about this situation is that the ex-Sale Sharks winger had another go at his opponent after pushing him the first time before the touch judge eventually intervened.
Samoa ran out victorious in that game, but Mackenzie survived to tell the tale even if he still breaks out in a sweat recalling it.
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I don’t really share Johnson’s opinion. Nothing better than Tupaea and Lienert-Brown in NZ? It’s a good duo, and he wouldn’t look out of place, but I think we can do better. Tavatavanawai seems superior to Tupaea at 12. He’s a brute force, who makes few mistakes (which can still be criticized in Tupaea), formidable both with and without the ball in close contact. I can see him playing with Proctor. On paper, this combination would be very, very interesting, in the same philosophy as the iconic Nonu/C Smith duo.
Anyway, I remain convinced that in Razor’s mind, Jordie Barrett is indispensable at center, and he could quickly team up with Leicester Fainga’anuku. I’m betting on that in the near future.
Finally, a Tavatanawai/Proctor duo would be very interesting. Ennor also seems to be a good option instead of Proctor, who still hasn’t played this season. But Ennor has only played one match... he needs to be seen again and get some game time. There is a lot of talent in New Zealand in these two positions. The hardest part will be cutting players who could make a difference for many teams. The choices are going to be tough. If I had to make a bold bet, and unlike Johnson, I don’t see Tupaea being selected, and I imagine ALB could be in a tight spot against Proctor and Ennor if they are fit.
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