Manu Tuilagi

Manu Tuilagi is a popular player with rugby in his blood, not only are his five older brothers established Samoan internationals, much like Manu himself, they have all played for Leicester. However, unlike his siblings, he opted to play for England - having qualified through residency - and to this day he remains a regular name on the team sheets as a centre, on both a domestic and international level.

Born in May 1991 in Fogapoa, Samoa, he moved to the UK as a teenager to follow his brothers on their respective career paths, before joining Rumney RFC’s youth setup. Shortly after he moved to Leicester to join the Tigers’ academy at age 15. He made his first official appearances for the club in 2009, but his first season with the senior side was the 2010-11 season where he quickly became an established first-team regular.

Manu Tuilagi’s first taste of silverware came when Leicester won the Aviva Premiership final in 2013, beating Northampton 37-17, he also scored a try and was instrumental in the side’s victory.

In the seasons following this he was blighted by a series of injuries including persistent problems with his hamstring and knee, which has ultimately limited him to only a few appearances in recent years. In 2020, Tuilagi left Leicester Tigers and he has now joined Sale Sharks.

On the international stage Tuilagi stated he wanted to play for England after growing up and learning the game in the country. After qualifying through residency, he made his debut in August 2011 in a World Cup warm up game against Wales. He then went on to become England’s youngest ever World Cup player at the time when he played against Argentina in the side’s first game of the tournament.

He has since played regularly for England between injuries and also featured for the British & Irish Lions in their 2013 tour of Australia. His most recent notable honour was the try he scored in England’s 2019 World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand.