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Tuilagi's Sale switch is the talk of Twitter

13 Jul 2020

England centre Manu Tuilagi has signed for Sale Sharks.

It’s been a busy day on social media following some major transfer news in the Gallagher Premiership this morning. After intense speculation surrounding his next move, England international Manu Tuilagi was confirmed as a Sale Sharks player, in a move which represents a major coup for Steve Diamond’s team.

Tuilagi had been on the market for a new club since rejecting a new, cut-price contract with Leicester, ending his 11-year stay with the club. Leicester are expecting to lose £5m due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and have made more than 30 staff redundant.

Sale have experienced their own financial concerns recently, but Diamond told RugbyPass that Tuilagi joins on the same terms as the rest of the Sharks squad, who have agreed temporary 25 per cent pay cuts.

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Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott speaks ahead of Super Rugby AU Week Three, when Queensland faces the Western Force on Friday

Yet all that matters to Sale supporters is that the club have signed up one of the most devasting players in the English game.

Despite attracting interest from a number of clubs, the British and Irish Lion has opted to stay in the Gallagher Premiership rather than pursue a big-money move to France or Japan, keeping his international Test career alive in the process.

Sale’s signing of Tuilagi is undoubtedly one of the biggest Premiership transfer deals in recent memory, and naturally social media went into overdrive following the announcement.

pic.twitter.com/SyupJkeTot
— Telusa Veainu (@tveainu) July 13, 2020

@Manutuilagi 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
— Lima Sopoaga (@LimaSopoaga) July 13, 2020

Another world class signing for @SaleSharksRugby 🔥#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/EUguC1vZGV
— Ugo Monye (@ugomonye) July 13, 2020

If Manu plays with RJvR then defending the Sale midfield will be like running with the bulls in Pamplona. https://t.co/Rzk1YXzCZJ
— David Flatman (@davidflatman) July 13, 2020

Defending against van rensburg and Manu next season…. some power in that midfield https://t.co/zSorlkstxj pic.twitter.com/ce9vQkJsF7
— Freddie Burns (@FreddieBurns) July 13, 2020

Could Dimes look more smug? 😂😂 what a signing!! 🦈🦈
— James (@JPRobinson7) July 13, 2020

Steve Diamond is assembling a squad that would make Nick Fury and the Avengers take notice #SaleSharks
— Adrian Slabbert (@adrian_slabbert) July 13, 2020

Love the way Steve Diamond looks like he can’t quite believe it. Great signing for Sale Sharks. https://t.co/0EUWImQ3Xg
— Hal Cruttenden (@Halcruttenden) July 13, 2020

Blimey, even Dimes looks chuffed! Welcome to Sale @Manutuilagi 🦈. Great news. 👏👏👏 https://t.co/xSI5nkpZto
— Sale Sharks Fans (@SaleRugbyNews) July 13, 2020

https://t.co/NYzdFbGy3k pic.twitter.com/QtXlLtvyn6
— Richard Higgs (@richardhiggsPT) July 13, 2020

BREAKING: Opposition gain lines
cc @Rohanjvr12 👀 https://t.co/CAeu29SmCL
— Oom Rugby (@Oom_Rugby) July 13, 2020

Great signing for Sale, they'll be pushing for winning the league next season. https://t.co/aWGxZctoHt
— rtest (@rtest74) July 13, 2020

Faf at 9. Manu and Rohan in the centres. Pity the opposition.
— Sailor Ripley's Snakeskin Jacket (@KatzDaryn) July 13, 2020

Good gracious! Tuilagi, Curry twins, du Preez twins, Faf in one squad 💀 https://t.co/C84p58WdDt
— Thala Msutu (@ThalaMsutu77) July 13, 2020

Big signing. Incoming salty comments https://t.co/K3ywDwPPFD
— stephen 👊👊🏻👊🏼👊🏽👊🏾👊🏿 (@stighunt99) July 13, 2020

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NB 4 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

I reckon the players are there for the most part Ardy. ~There isn’t a huge amount of depth as yet, but the top guys are quality. If Schmidt can stay involved, even at a distance, it will help the chances of the new guy, esp if he shares some of the same philosophies…

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NB 6 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

Def important to keep Joe involved, and from what I know he is willing to come back into the fold before 2027. So you only need a guy he trusts to keep developing the team from late 2025 for the next 18 months.

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NB 8 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

I reckon they’ll paint themselves into a corner if Les is appointed as head coach DM. He can’t take his staff with him and from what I understand, he doesn’t do a lot of the on-field coaching himself anymore.

So who would actually be coaching the WBs, esp with the Lord and poss Mike Cron leaving? It only leaves Geoff Parling and Eoin Toolan!

It might work with him as a p/t DoR and a f/t senior coach alongside.

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NB 11 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

Hi Jim.

I’d def like to see more of HMP, for mine he’s got teh highest ceiling of any 10 in Aussie.

I always remember Graham Henry telling me, ‘however much you love the gameplan, if the weather changes, you have to be prepared to abandon it.’ I reckon that applied to the Reds last weekend too.

It was like that at Irish too. They were hell-bent on playing their game-plan, come what may!

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NB 15 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

I think the main problem is how he tends to railroad threads on unrelated topics towards his own pet subject.

I just wish he’d show a bit more willingness to engage on matters outside it!

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NB 16 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

He’s spitting with even more fury right now, but there’s not a lot of point in going down the same old roads with him all the time - and often on completely unrelated threads! If he stuck to actual rugby it might be diff - but it isn’t.

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NB 18 minutes ago

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

I am beginning to feel that is what should happen Jon.

Although I do feel Les K is the outstanding Aussie candidate for the job, it would be hard for him to keep a foot in both camps at once, and it would wreck the Reds if he took his team with him to the WB.

So I’d be more inclined to appoint a top tracksuit coach in anticipation of Joe S. becoming involved again before 2027. I can’t see Les doing so much of the tracksuit work now, so Aussie needs a bloke who can coach attack and D to a high standard with the Lord leaving in November.

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Hey Nick, thanks for another well put together article and interesting read. I would love to see Les Kiss stay at the Reds as it does feel like they are building towards something special with a great culture and team cohesion, but not quite this season unfortunately. Would be great if that reasoning was proved wrong and they take out title. It does feel to me, that Larkham and McKellar probably know more than us about the future Wallabies Coach and having now distanced themselves from the discussions, leaves Les as the frontrunner for the gig. RA do need to make a decision soon though before more of Noah’s mates join him overseas. On a more sobering note, RA’s problems seem minor to issue now being faced at home by the WRU. Would love to read your opinion on that one at some stage.

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