Manu Tuilagi’s injury strife has been well documented and to control his boredom away from the field, he has become an accomplished barista and established himself as king of the pool table.
But finally on Saturday, his inclusion on the bench against the Wallabies offers him the chance to park injury-enforced hobbies to show England what they have been missing.
Expect to see that broad grin, and a gung-ho, bulldozing run into the wall of green and gold. And then, as Twickenham holds its breath, hopefully watch him then stand up, still smiling and looking to do it all over again.
Tuilagi has long been the answer for England. This was jointly because of his ability and potential to be a world-class force, but because whatever trouble England found themselves in during his injury-ravages spell since 2014, he found himself being included in the answer to their trials and tribulations.
We should have seen Tuilagi in action against South Africa at the start of the autumns, but this was the latest of a number of false dawns. Just 24 hours out from kick off, his troublesome groin injury popped up again. This yet another injury to add to a list including cheekbone, hamstring, shoulder, pectoral muscles, groin, ACL and knee troubles, which at one point prompted him to consult a Samoan witchdoctor for a solution.
But whisper it, with Jones having parked Tuilagi for the last three matches waiting for him to go from 99.9 percent ready to 100 and if fate deals him a generous hand, this could be the start of his run as a midfield force through to next year’s World Cup.
“I am so pleased for Manu because he has really stuck at it,” Jones said. “It’s disheartening when you get little injuries that just stop you from playing. But he has stuck at it, he has been positive, and he is getting rewarded.”
Tuilagi’s Leicester Tigers colleague Ben Youngs has known Tuilagi since his days in the academy and says the centre is “like an excited kid at the best of times” and has been walking around their Pennyhill Park base with a “big grin on his face, like a Cheshire cat.”
Though Tuilagi’s participation on the training paddock has been closely monitored and tailored to his own specific needs, he has used his time away to master the pool table. Billy Vunipola is the team’s enforcer on Fifa, but Tuilagi is the hustler when it comes to 8-ball – he brought his own cue to the camp last week, but is yet to turn up in a waistcoat.
Jamie George said Tuilagi is “very, very good” at pool, but amid rumours Tuilagi has also made a pound or two from hustling on the table, the Saracens hooker has stayed away. “I am awful so I stay as far away as possible. He’s a talent, man.”
But George does rival Tuilagi on the barista stakes, operating a machine alongside Elliot Daly. “It’s a fierce rivalry, he’s a big man as well so if it kicked off I wouldn’t back myself at all,” George said. “Manu only had his coffee machine here for a week, he actually took it home and didn’t bring it back so read into that what you will.”
Like Tuilagi, George is also looking forward to a rare opportunity having been handed the starting hooker jersey ahead of co-captain Dylan Hartley. Jones’ selection credo revolves around the 23-man matchday squad being one collective group, rather than a starting XV and the replacements. But George’s excitement at starting was clear as he assessed it Thursday, relishing the chance to get early shots in on Australia. As George’s on-field time is likely coming to an end on Saturday, Tuilagi will be readying himself to be England’s go-to ball carrier and magician for the final quarter.
“We’re all itching to see Manu play,” Jones said. “He’s been great. He’s come into the camp after a lot of time away from the team with a lot of new guys he didn’t know but he’s mixed really well socially, he’s trained really hard and kept a smile on his face. He’s been a real joy to have around the team.”
There is always that risk with Tuilagi. We have heard and written the Tuilagi comeback story before. Even in Stuart Lancaster’s reign he was looked at as the missing ingredient, the x-factor player who could be the difference between success and failure in those arm-wrestle matches. There was a moment in a Lancaster press conference at the end of the 2015 Six Nations where they had just fallen short of winning the title on points difference when he was asked what was missing. Lancaster simply said, “Manu.”
Jones is aware of putting too much pressure and expectation on Tuilagi’s shoulders. The man himself will be aware of the excitement surrounding the chance to see him back at Twickenham for just the second time since 2013, but Jones wants to see him stick to what he does best, rather than reaching for the sensational. “All we’re wanting is for him to do the basics well,” Jones said. “Good straight hard running, good hard low tackling, work off the ball…that’s all we want to see from him.”
So come Saturday, probably midway through the second half, Twickenham will rise as one to welcome back Tuilagi. The much-touted, long-sidelined answer to English rugby’s perennial questions and ponderings will be back at what he does best. But amid the hype, remember this from Jones when asked how Tuilagi’s teammates are feeling about his inclusion. Jones said: “I think they’re pleased for him but they also realise he’s just one member in the team.”