Manu Tuilagi's latest contract comments dampen code switch rumours
Manu Tuilagi has hinted he will see out the remainder of his contract with Leicester Tigers as he seeks to make the club a powerhouse in the English game again.
David Argyle, the wealthy owner of Super League’s newest club Toronto Wolfpack, held talks with Tuilagi’s representatives over a switch in codes.
The 28-year-old England and Leicester centre declined to answer whether a move to league was an attractive proposition at this stage of his career.
But on the back of England’s World Cup performances, and agonising loss to South Africa in the final, he has suggested he is far from done with 15-man game just yet.
“I’m really enjoying my rugby, just in general,” said Tuilagi, whose contract with Leicester expires in 2021.
“A few years back, even a year ago, I might have had to hang the boots up. Now I know you have to enjoy every moment because you never know when it’s your last game.
“At the moment, I don’t want to look to the future too far ahead. You have to focus on the now, and for me, I’ve two years at Tigers.”
Despite Leicester’s poor start to the Premiership season, Tuilagi added: “At the club we want to be up there with the best in the business and for me, I am looking forward to giving my best to help the club.”
Tuilagi, who played the full 80 minutes of England’s 32-12 defeat to the Springboks, opted to quickly return to club rugby in order to get over the disappointment of that loss.
Now a mainstay of head coach Eddie Jones’ side, Tuilagi said: “We were gutted for the people back here when we lost in the final, me personally, and the boys as well, for all the people supporting and their families.
“It’s one of the games that will stick with you for the rest of your life, but there’s no point thinking too much about it because it’s done and there’s nothing anyone can say or do to bring it back.
“You learn and move on. I’m back at Tigers now, which is exciting because it’s an exciting season for us. I’m going to play as well as I possibly can for the club and help us climb that table.
“After the game (the World Cup final) we got back on the Monday, and didn’t go back to the club until the next Monday. It took a few days to get used to being back to normal.
“But getting back to Leicester helped massively. The first week I didn’t know what to do. I went into the club a few times because I just wanted to get back straight back into it.
“It was nice to have something to get your teeth stuck back into.”
Despite the heavy loss, Tuilagi believes the future is bright for Jones’ side, in particular, after the way they played in the semi-final against New Zealand.
“We can definitely improve on that performance,” said Tuilagi.
“That’s the most exciting thing about this group of players. We put in some good performances but we still have a lot to learn, a lot to improve on because we’re still quite a young side.
“It’s exciting where we’re going to take this.”
:: Tuilagi was speaking at an event on behalf of Canterbury, the official partner of the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021. For more information visit Canterbury.com
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments