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Wasps react to speculation linking them with a move for Manu Tuilagi
By Liam Heagney
Wasps boss Lee Blackett has laughed off speculation that his club are in the running to recruit Manu Tuilagi from Sale at the end of this season. The England midfielder has been sidelined with an Achilles injury since last September and is due to make a comeback in early May.
The 29-year-old came to Sale during the first UK lockdown, having refused to agree on a salary cut at Leicester, and during the week following his injury, Steve Diamond described Tuilagi’s burgeoning relationship with Sharks and whether he might stay on beyond a single year.
“It’s a whirlwind romance at the minute. He’s a great lad. He loves it. He’s passionate. I’ll be looking to chat with Manu, definitely. We had a very good shaking hands agreement. He is signed until next July and we are in no rush to sit down and sort something out. He is cool with that, he’s happy. If we can come up with the numbers I think he would be delighted to stay with us.”
The dynamic at Sale has since changed with Diamond quitting as director of rugby and being succeeded by Alex Sanderson as director of rugby. With just months now remaining on his current deal, what happens next with Tuilagi is understandably generating speculation.
However, it doesn’t sound like he will be going to Wasps any time soon judging by the reaction from Blackett at his club’s weekly media conference when it was put to him that Tuilagi was a rumoured recruit by the Coventry-based outfit for 2021/22.
“You know some of these rumours I do find funny because you find out you are rumoured with someone and that actually makes me realise they are available,” he said with a chuckle. “I have seen rumours this season. There was one player that got rumoured to us - and he’s not coming by the way - and Kev (Harman), who heads up the recruitment, I rang him straight away and I said, ‘Mate, I didn’t even know this guy was available, just find out if he is available, will you?’
“Sometimes these rumours are put out by agents trying to get more money but we don’t have that much," he continued, before adding tongue in cheek regarding Tuilagi: "Will he come for very little, will he come for an academy wage?”
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John, McKenzie was 10 years ago and he only lasted 15 months until the disgustingly unfair affair that brought him down. I thought that if he didn't get another gig over Eddie V2 then he was done. I read that he had been approached but declined to put his name in the ring.
There are no potential Wallaby coaches outside of McKellar unless you have some inside info?
Go to commentsThe way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.
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