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England pair's punch-up could be revisited off back of Shark Sharks' signing of Manu Tuilagi

By Online Editors
Manu Tuilagi PA

Sale’s acquisition of Manu Tuilagi adds yet another layer of intrigue to the Premiership re-opener between the Manchester-based side and Harlequins in August.

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Today it was revealed the 29-year-old will keep his England career alive by staying on home soil, after agreeing a deal with Sale that runs until the end of the 2020/2021 campaign. The 43-cap England centre was a free agent after rejecting a 25 per cent pay cut and leaving Leicester Tigers, the club he joined as a teenager.

 

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Tuilagi will now be available for Sale’s push towards the play-offs when the current Premiership season resumes next month after the coronavirus shutdown. The Sharks sit second place in the league standings, and British and Irish Lions powerhouse Tuilagi’s addition will prove a real coup for boss Steve Diamond’s side.

His first outing could be the south-west London league meeting of Quins and Sale will be the first of the 54 regulation season matches that remain to be played and it is believed broadcasters BT Sport will likely show 31 of those games live.

Tuilagi could face off against former England teammate Chris Ashton who left Sale mid-season under a cloud after clashing DoR Diamond. It was March 2 when former England winger Ashton abruptly left the club after what was described as a “difference of opinion” with Diamond. After agreeing to terminate his contract early, Ashton was then quickly signed by Paul Gustard’s Quins but he has yet to play for the London club.

Ashton facing off against his former employers is only interesting sub-plot to the game, as Tuilagi and Ashton of course share their own colourful backstory. In 2011 during a Premiership game Ashton – then playing for Northampton Saints – pushed a 20-year-old Tuilagi in the back following a questionable tackle. The Samoan born centre replied with interest, namely two jabs following by a haymaker.

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Ashton, who somehow remained standing, was left in a semi-concussed daze and needed stitches. For his part, Tuilagi missed the Premiership final against Saracens as a result after receiving a five-week ban. He was initially banned for 10 weeks but his suspension was reduced in light of a push from Ashton. Tuilagi also missed England Saxons’ Churchill Cup campaign, although he did play in England’s August Tests.

Speaking to The Daily Mail following the incident, Tuilagi said that made peace with Ashton by way of a trip to the cinema. “I rang him up and we went to the cinema and for a meal. We had a night out together. We watched Transformers… Romantic.’

‘I was surprised it was such a big story. I couldn’t remember it afterwards much, it was all so fast. But it happened and it’s done and dusted. The other guys have had a laugh about it. I’m just looking forward to having the chance to play with him. That would be cool.’

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While the hatchet has long been buried between them, it makes for another interesting sub-plot in the much-awaited return of professional rugby in England.

additional reporting PA

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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