Exeter Chiefs centre Henry Slade believes England teammate Manu Tuilagi is the best rugby player in the world.
“We have a really good relationship off the field and that translates on to it,” said Slade.
“Manu’s a great guy and what he brings to the team is pretty obvious in terms of how powerful he is. I don’t think there’s any other centre like him in world rugby.
“In my view, he’s the best player in the world because of what he can give you.
“For a guy who doesn’t do weights… he doesn’t do any and he’s one of the most powerful guys I’ve ever met, so it’s pretty scary what he could be like.
“It’s not just about what he brings in terms of getting over the gain line, but the amount of space he can create for others by doing that and by being the threat he is.
“If you go to the line, you have to respect that Manu could get the ball and bust you at any point. The headaches he must give defences is nuts. He’s awesome to play with.
“He has done great things against the All Blacks in the past, but he can do great things against any team. He is a hard guy to stop.
“Having him in the team always gives you that bit of confidence, that good feeling. It’s going to be a big weekend for him and he’s a big guy for us.”
Discussing the other best players in the world, Slade mentioned Ardie Savea and Antoine Dupont in no particular order.
Henry Slade facts:
- Slade is the great nephew of former Portsmouth footballer Geoff Williamson
- He joined the Exeter Chiefs set-up since 2011 and has also turned out for Plymouth Albion
- Slade has won the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup with England as well as lifting the Gallagher Premiership and European Champions Cup trophies with Exeter
- The centre and his partner Megan have a daughter, Olive, together
- He studied for a Sports and Exercise Science degree at the University of Exeter
The 50 Greatest British Rugby Players Of All-Time Have Been Ranked By Fans
#50. Mike Tindall (England)
#49. Scott Quinnell (Wales)
#48. Matt Dawson (England)
#47. Will Carling (England)
#46. Scott Hastings (Scotland)
#45. Jonny May (England)
#44. Finlay Calder (Scotland)
#43. Maro Itoje (England)
#42. Rob Howley (Wales)
#41. Adam Jones (Wales)
#40. Peter Winterbottom (England)
#39. Andy Irvine (Scotland)
#38. David Sole (Scotland)
#37. Scott Gibbs (Wales)
#36. Lewis Moody (England)
#35. Chris Paterson (Scotland
#34. Mervyn Davies (Wales)
#33. Rory Underwood (England)
#31. Fran Cotton (England)
#30. George North (Wales)
#29. Will Greenwood (England)
#28. Tom Smith (Scotland)
#27. Phil Vickery (England)
#26. Graham Price (Wales)