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Manu Tuilagi injury theory circulating after centre lasts just 15 minutes
By Ian Cameron
Many are questioning whether or not Manu Tuilagi was carrying an injury coming into England's opening Guinness Six Nations match against France at the Stade de France.
Tuilagi lasted just 15 minutes against the French before being removed from the action.
There was no obvious incident leading to the injury and many were left questioning how fit the centre was coming into the game.
The fact that England head coach Eddie Jones had picked centres on the bench seemed to confirm for many that Tuilagi wasn't fit coming into the game.
Both Jonathan Joseph and Ollie Devoto were named on the bench, suggesting Jones was expecting that Tuilagi wasn't likely to finish the match.
Tuilagi has struggled for fitness for the last four years and many fear the reoccurrence of the groin injury that accounted for much of his time spent on the sideline.
The BBC's Sonia McLoughlin said there was no obvious injury to Tuilagi and that he 'waved off' ice when it was brought out.
The loss of both Tuilagi and Billy Vunipola prior to the match left the men in white light on carrying options going into the second half.
Having been plagued with hamstring and knee injuries between 2014 and 2017, visited a Samoan witch doctor in November, 2017. The witch doctor claimed Tuilagi’s problems were due to three spirits and massaged him for two hours per day, for four successive days to rid him of the spirits.
Jones nicknamed Tuilagi ‘pinball machine’ after his performance in England’s RWC 2019 warmup win over Wales.
WATCH: England player Tom Curry and coach Simon Amor give a press conference ahead of England's first Six Nations game against France.
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Latest Comments
It is if he thinks he’s got hold of the ball and there is at least one other player between him and the ball carrier, which is why he has to reach around and over their heads. Not a deliberate action for me.
Go to commentsI understand, but England 30 years ago were a set piece focused kick heavy team not big on using backs.
Same as now.
South African sides from any period will have a big bunch of forwards smashing it up and a first five booting everything in their own half.
NZ until recently rarely if ever scrummed for penalties; the scrum is to attack from, broken play, not structured is what we’re after.
Same as now.
These are ways of playing very ingrained into the culture.
If you were in an English club team and were off to Fiji for a game against a club team you’d never heard of and had no footage of, how would you prepare?
For a forward dominated grind or would you assume they will throw the ball about because they are Fijian?
A Fiji way. An English way.
An Australian way depends on who you’ve scraped together that hasn’t been picked off by AFL or NRL, and that changes from generation to generation a lot of the time.
Actually, maybe that is their style. In fact, yes they have a style.
Nevermind. Fuggit I’ve typed it all out now.
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