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What Sale make of Manu the winger and having 4 picks in England 23
Sale have hailed the decision by Eddie Jones to include four of their players in their England matchday 23 to face the Wallabies this Saturday, adding that they have no fears about midfield regular Manu Tuilagi getting selected for only his second ever start on the wing for his country. Tuilagi is joined in the squad to take on Australia by No8 Tom Curry and uncapped replacements Bevan Rodd and Raffi Quirke.
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It is a four-strong representation only matched by Saracens, with Leicester, Exeter and Bath having three representatives each for the second game in the Autumn Nations Series. Harlequins have two players included with the squad also having a player each from Gloucester, Bristol, Northampton and Newcastle.
Just one of the previous 38 England starts for Tuilagi has come on the wing, a June 2014 selection in the No14 jersey for a match in Dunedin versus the All Blacks. More than seven years later, though, the 30-year-old has now been selected instead of Adam Radwan to start on the right wing as the isolation-free Owen Farrell has returned to take the No12 position that Tuilagi occupied last weekend versus Tonga.
Sale boss Alex Sanderson will make sure he is glued to the TV for the Saturday evening England match that will kick off shortly after the conclusion of the Sharks’ Premiership Cup game at Leicester, the club where Tuilagi first forged his reputation as a powerhouse midfielder. Sanderson has no fears over his player’s novel Test match reposition.
“It [right wing] is only something new off first phase, isn’t it, because after two or three phases the ball comes to that wide channel anyway and then it is just runners, dummy runners, out-the-back runners. Nothing changes there. I guess it is defensively where he is at, his backfield management which might be different and that is important in the kicking game.
Eddie Jones has explained why Manu Tuilagi has surprisingly been picked to start on the England wing for the first time since 2014#England #ENGvAUS #AutumnNationsSeries #Wallabies
https://t.co/Ei4THvKUni— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 11, 2021
“But he is a smart player, he has been around the block, his communications are good so if anyone can make that transition it is going to be a senior player of his experience… He is good (under the high ball). He is strong, confident, fearless. It is the people who take the eye off the ball that tend to miss it but he ain’t going to that. I am really excited, I am really interested to see how it is going to go. Who knows, he might be playing on the wing at some point for Sale in the future if it works out.
“Manu has gazillions of caps and I don’t think he cares where he gets them. I am sure it isn’t a case of Manu is going to stay on the wing. There is going to be some Eddie Jones-style tactics that are going to incorporate him as a leader, as a strong runner or even a dummy runner. They will use him smartly, particularly with the distributors they have got at ten, twelve and 13. That is going to be quite exciting to watch.”
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Sanderson has long been effusive in his praise of what Curry brings to a match, but his excitement about England taking on the Wallabies has been greatly added to by the inclusion of uncapped Sale pair Rodd, 21, and Quirke, 20, on the bench. “The other two I am made up about, so happy for them,” enthused the Sharks boss.
“It is another sign of what we are trying to build here. We have got young lads who are playing out of their skin and knocking on the door for England. That is the type of club we want to be, people with ambitions who want to be here, who are northern, and I can’t wait to see them get a cap. I just hope and pray no one gets injured and they get on through merit.
“We [Sale] want to step out. We want to move forward, show intent, make it a place where people can develop and come on and not just be Premiership players but be international players. It’s a real sign of the exciting prospects. They are just two of the players I feel have the potential to make international honours moving forward.
“We have other good youngsters who haven’t had the opportunity yet. It is huge for the club but it is bigger for them. We talk within these walls about being a club that is focused and has holistic care around the person before the player and when people are generally happy and content and they are getting support, they tend to play their best rugby.”
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TRANSFER NEWS: The out-of-favour England No10 has been contacted by the Sharks about a possible move away from Leicester #Sharks #GallagherPrem #Tigers #England
https://t.co/tX4d7uFgXM— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 11, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
You ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
34 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
3 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
5 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
34 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
5 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
5 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
3 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
3 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
9 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
5 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
34 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
9 Go to commentsWowee!
9 Go to commentsEvery team that has played a game in Africa this Champions Cup season is already out of the competition - including the SA teams. Could be a concidence.
30 Go to commentsthat should offer some experiences for Jordie.
9 Go to commentsJust remember: He is not a winger. Took Ian Foster 2 years to figure that out.
9 Go to commentsExcellent article, Nick. We (your RP colleague Brett McKay and my 8/9 Combo cohost), are going to have LSL on our podcast later this month. He has shown consistent excellence as a leader and lock. I’ll chat with you offline about a line of questioning if you have time. H
34 Go to commentsSo no Irish fan or journalist suggested JGP was as good as DuPont. Then even the guy who supposedly did is from Wales and said JGP would be the best around if it was t for DuPont. Right, so what is this story about again
19 Go to comments