"In contention" - Manu Tuilagi in line for SHOCK early return
Rugby NewsFriday, 28 January 2022 at 09:30
Eddie Jones has finally been handed an injury boost with Manu Tuilagi in contention four of England's five Six Nations fixtures.
Sale travel to London to face Harlequins on February 6—the day after England's Six Nations opener against Scotland—in what could now be a key test of Tuilagi's fitness.
“Harlequins is the projected return and then we will see how he feels for Six Nations," Sale boss Alex Sanderson told reporters. "
It is a week-to-week thing for Manu but England have total autonomy over when he plays and doesn’t play and if he looks really good and feels good, he will go straight through to England and it could be Italy.
“He is an exceptional trainer and a quick healer so all of his progressions are done on the back of hitting physiological markers and GPS speeds, rescans and seeing the specialist and we would never push him earlier.
"He is very diligent and is living a very wholesome life at the moment; doesn’t eat much meat, doesn’t got out and has just had a baby boy. All of these things are lending themselves to him pushing through the rehab quicker."
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England injury list and suspensions – Farrell, Lawes, May, Tuilagi, Underhill
All the latest information on injuries and suspensions in the England Six Nations squad, with updates taken directly from Eddie Jones press conferences and interviews.
#1. Owen Farrell
It is understood that Jones is primed to name a new captain next week, with Farrell set to miss the pre-tournament training camp in Brighton and see a specialist to discover the length of his layoff.
Farrell sustained an ankle injury, which required surgery, in England’s second autumn international against Australia, having had to sit out the victory over Tonga due to a false positive test for Covid-19. Considering he has made just five appearances for club and country this season, he is expected to remain with Saracens and continue his rehabilitation for the foreseeable future.
Owen Farrell of England limps off injured during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK
#2. Jonny May
May has withdrawn from the England men’s squad with a knee injury with Elliot Daly called-up as a replacement.
#3. Courtney Lawes
The second-row is currently unavailable to train this week as he is undergoing head injury return to play protocols. If he fails to get sign off from a Doctor, he may be a serious doubt for the Six Nations opener against Scotland.
#4. Joe Marler
Marler recorded a second positive test on England duty in the space of two-and-a-half months, raising doubts over his availability for next week’s trip to Scotland.
Joe Marler of England celebrates after winning during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
#5. Sam Underhill
In his first game since suffering a concussion against Gloucester on Boxing Day, the backrower suffered another bad one against Leinster over the weekend after making a tackle.
Underhill, who had been tipped for a recall by Eddie Jones this week, could now be ruled out for weeks or months after coming off early once again.
Earlier this week, the England coach had said: “Sam is not quite ready,
“He has had a fairly truncated period since the autumn but we are hopeful he will get himself fit and match ready for later in the tournament.”
One fan even commented that “Underhill needs to quit. He’s going to seriously damage his health. I get worried every time he plays.’
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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