England are set to receive a timely Christmas bonus in the shape of Manu Tuilagi’s eagerly-awaited return to fitness following a groin injury. The Leicester centre is expected to make his club comeback at the end of this month, while his fellow internationals Geoff Parling and Tom Croft will both be available for selection this weekend against Toulon in the European Champions Cup.
Both England and the Tigers have missed Tuilagi’s forceful midfield contribution this autumn but Richard Cockerill, Leicester’s director of rugby, says the 23-year-old, who has featured in just four games all season, should be back up to speed prior to the start of the Six Nations in early February.
“Manu will probably be fit by the end of December, give or take a week or two,” said Cockerill, a firm believer club and country will both stand to benefit. “In the modern game you’ve got to be able to dent the line of the opposition … when it’s a stalemate you need physicality. That’s the reality of it and Manu gives you that.
“When England have played at their best Manu has been huge for them. Hopefully he’ll be back playing at Christmas time and be back into the England squad for the Six Nations.”
He added: “The midfield is the biggest problem England have got and Manu solves one position. He’s the best 13 and then you have to decide who’s the best at 12. Thankfully that’s someone else’s problem.”
Parling, who also sat out England’s entire autumn programme because of concussion, is already back in full training and will feature against a star-studded Toulon side in the first instalment of the imminent double header between the clubs. The Lions lock has played just two games all season but has now been cleared of any lingering symptoms.
“We have now completed the three-month rest we were advised to give him and he’s good to go,” reported Cockerill. “He’s been symptom-free for several weeks now and has been pestering me to play but it’s been about giving his brain the rest we’ve been recommended to give it. He’ll be involved at the weekend.”
Croft is also in line to play in his second game of the campaign off the bench, having missed last weekend’s home win over Wasps after his wife went into labour. The couple now have a baby daughter named Victoria, although Cockerill joked the labour went on so long the flanker could have nipped away from the maternity ward and played. “For some reason they wanted to have the baby at the General hospital not the Royal Infirmary so he couldn’t even pop across the road to play and then pop back again. That’s the reason they built the hospital there, isn’t it?”
Croft and Parling are both out of contract at the end of the season, with negotiations between the club and the two forwards still ongoing. With a second player permitted outside the salary cap next season Leicester are assessing all their options. “We’re in the middle of getting our recruitment planned and the marquee player is the discussion we’re having at the moment,” said Cockerill. “The marketplace for top players is stronger than it’s ever been. The rule with the English players having to play in England helps to keep English guys but it depends where you’re at in your career.”
Trying to compete with the depth of Toulon’s pockets, however, remains impossible. “We haven’t got someone who’ll just write us a cheque for £10m,” said Cockerill. “We have to borrow the money and pay it back like normal people. Toulon are the stellar team in Europe … they’re the Barcelona or Real Madrid of rugby. They’ve got a squad to die for. We’ll just go in full bore, try and fire the first bullets and make sure we make it as uncomfortable as we can for them.”
A home defeat, however, would seriously damage Leicester’s ambitions of qualifying beyond the pool stages, already compromised by a disappointing loss to Scarlets. “It was a very poor performance and we’re likely to get punished for it further down the road, whether that’s not qualifying or being away from home,” admitted Cockerill. “We’ll see where we end up but it will probably come back to bite us.”
