Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson has indicated that Manu Tuilagi could be fit in time for the second round of the Six Nations.
He also revealed that the powerhouse centre, who has been on the sidelines since injuring his hamstring during the Autumn, will likely make his playing return this weekend against Harlequins.
“He is training and looking good but we think it is too much of a risk to push him this weekend. Harlequins is the projected return and then we will see how he feels for Six Nations,” Sanderson said.
“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 go 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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The fans' England XV to play Scotland:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps)
- 14. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 42 caps)
- 11. Adam Radwan (Newcastle Falcons, 3 caps)
Freddie Steward of England goes over for a try during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Australia at Twickenham on 13 November 2021. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK
CENTRES:
- 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 38 caps)
- 12. Luke Northmore (Harlequins, uncapped)
Henry Slade of England kicks the conversion during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 3 caps)
- 9. Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)
Try Celebrations for Marcus Smith of England during the Autumn Nations Match between England and Tonga at Twickenham Stoop on 6 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
FRONT-ROW:
- 1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 72 caps)
- 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 31 caps)
- 3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 47 caps)
SECOND-ROW:
- 4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 55 caps)
- 5. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 89 caps)
BACK-ROW:
- 6. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 5 caps)
- 7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 35 caps)
- 8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps) during England Rugby training session at The Lensbury Hotel, Teddington, London on 28 Sept 2021. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
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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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