Huge blow for England as Manu Tuilagi ruled out for six months with Achilles injury
Manu Tuilagi has been ruled out of action for six months, causing a major concern for England.
Tuilagi tore an Achilles in Sale’s win over Northampton on Monday and, with April set as his projected return date, he is likely to miss the entire 2021 Six Nations tournament.
The centre moved from Leicester during the Covid-induced hiatus, having been unable to agree terms around a reduced salary, and is due for surgery next week.
The injury occurred when Northampton and Wales fly-half Dan Biggar fell on him at Franklin’s Gardens, where Sale came away as 34-14 winners. Sale can secure their place in Premiership play-offs if they beat Worcester with a try bonus point on Sunday.
Sale director of rugby, Steve Diamond, was emphatic that Tuilagi would be a bigger loss for England than Sale. “Rather selfishly, after the Worcester game and the play-offs, we probably wouldn’t have seen Manu until April or May between the EPS [England elite player squad] rules and rest periods,” he said.
“We’ll probably get eight games out of him, which is probably what we would have gotten anyway with a bit of luck. He is England’s loss more than ours.
“It is brutal what we are playing at the moment. Dan Biggar fell on him, so it was an accident. These things happen; maybe it was a bit of a jinx saying before the game that we got nine games out of him out of nine. And, boom, that happens. I should keep my trap shut in future!”
The injury could be a cause for more Lions heartache for the player who missed out on the 2017 tour to New Zealand having been sidelined for much of the 2016-17 season with knee injuries. Next year’s tour to South Africa starts in July.
Tuilagi has endured an injury- plagued career. In November 2017, having sustained knee damage in the opening game of that season, he visited a Samoan witch doctor for help and was told that “three female spirits had married” his body and had been the cause of his woes.
His longest spell out was a hamstring injury sustained in late 2014, which kept him on the sidelines until January 2016. He has been blighted by groin injuries, the last coming in England’s loss against France in February in their Six Nations opener.
The England midfield will now have to be reconfigured, with head coach Eddie Jones planning to announce his preliminary squad on Monday – with players from the top four Premiership sides omitted.
One obvious scenario would be to have Owen Farrell start at inside centre, outside George Ford, with Henry Slade at outside centre. Other options to replace Tuilagi in the centre are to turn to Jonathan Joseph, Joe Marchant or Ollie Devoto, while Worcester’s 21-year-old Ollie Lawrence is being touted as an uncapped pick. A more left-field selection could be Tuilagi’s Sale team-mate Sam James, who has been in fine form.
In an additional blow to England, utility lock Courtney Lawes could also be out for some time after damaging his ankle in the same Northampton-Sale match.
Diamond revealed that he had yet to speak to Tuilagi concerning the lengthy lay-off. The pair had only exchanged text messages. However, Diamond feels Tuilagi had fitted in well at Sale and was hopeful that his contract, which is due to expire on June 30, 2021, would be renewed for the 2021-22 season.
“It has been a whirlwind romance. Manu is a great lad. He has come in, he is so passionate. I’ll be looking to chat to Manu to extend his contract definitely. He is signed with us until next July but I am in no rush to sort something out and he is cool with that,” said Diamond.
“If we could come up with the numbers I think he would be delighted to stay with us.”
