Jamie George has long been the go-to guy for coffee inside England’s training camp, along with fullback Elliot Daly providing a barista service for teammates in their room.
But Manu Tuilagi’s long-awaited return to the squad, complete with his own coffee machine, has led to what George described as a “fierce” rivalry.
“Manu’s only had his coffee machine here for a week, so read into that what you will,” revealed the Saracens star to the Mirror.
But captain Owen Farrell admitted to going to Tuilagi for his caffeine hits.
“There are a couple of shops going (in camp) now,” he said. “Manu is as good as any barista I’ve seen.”
Tuilagi’s pre-eminence extends to the pool hall where, according to Farrell, he has been “skinning” everyone – “playing rubbish in the morning, then taking everyone’s money at night!”