Six Nations boost for England as Manu Tuilagi is picked by Sale
Missing England midfielder Manu Tuilagi is poised to play his first match in eleven weeks after he was named on the Sale bench for this Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership game at Harlequins. The powerhouse has been sidelined since damaging a hamstring in the act of scoring for his country against the Springboks on November 20.
That setback happened at Twickenham but Tuilagi will now make his latest comeback from injury just across the road from English Rugby HQ as Alex Sanderson has handed him the No23 Sale shirt for the match at nearby The Stoop against the reigning Premiership champions.
Sanderson had suggested on Wednesday evening that Tuilagi was finally looking good to go after his return had suffered a setback according to England boss Eddie Jones on January 18 when he omitted the centre from the squad of 36 originally named for the Guinness Six Nations which starts this Saturday in Scotland.
England are away to Italy in round two on February 13 but Sanderson would like Tuilagi to build up some game time first at Sale before getting a Test squad recall. “It’s a very definite maybe for this weekend I have to say,” enthused Sanderson at his midweek media briefing when asked about the latest likely return date for Tuilagi.
“He has been out there the last two weeks. This week he has trained really well, looked sharp, looked good, happy. Yes, he is up for selection. Fit.
“More than one game (for Sale) would be advisable. His load has to be incrementally increased. We are over-cautions. That is what we are aiming towards but I am being flexible on either side of that depending on how he feels and his communication with England. I don’t really have a say in it. I have just got to see how he feels, see what the physios say and it is England’s call then really.”
Tuilagi isn’t the only massive world rugby name included on the Sale teamsheet for the first time in ages as Springboks scrum-half Faf de Klerk has also been selected on the bench. He had a hip operation in October after he returned from the Rugby Championship but he is now poised for his first appearance in the Premiership since last June’s semi-final defeat at Exeter.
De Klerk is providing back-up to the starting No9 Raffi Quirke, who was released by England this week. Bevan Rodd, another who didn’t make the England 23, is on the Sale bench while hooker Ewan Ashman will start after his release by Scotland.
SALE (vs Harlequins, Sunday)
15. Luke James; 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Robert du Preez, 12. Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11. Arron Reed; 10. AJ MacGinty, 9. Raffi Quirke; 1. Ross Harrison, 2, Ewan Ashman, 3. Coenie Oosthuizen, 4. Jean-Luc du Preez, 5. Lood de Jager, 6. Jono Ross (capt), 7. Sam Dugdale, 8. Daniel du Preez. Reps: 16. Curtis Langdon, 17. Bevan Rodd, 18. Joe Jones, 19. Jean-Pierre du Preez, 20. Cobus Wiese, 21. Faf de Klerk, 22. Sam James, 23. Manu Tuilagi.
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