So much has changed for Manu Tuilagi since he won his first England cap in the summer of 2011. The endless hours spent on the treatment table, strapping his body together again, have taken their toll. The 20-year-old, who was billed as the future of English rugby, as someone capable of things hitherto unseen in a white jersey, has developed into a wise old head, an elder of Steve Borthwick’s squad. The one constant, however, is Tuilagi’s unmistakable smile.
As he prepares for what is expected to be his 60th and final England appearance on Saturday, Tuilagi could be forgiven for a litany of regrets. Without such injury trouble – and some of it was self-inflicted because he would hide the issue to keep playing – he would surely have reached three figures. He has also endured disciplinary problems – missing the 2015 World Cup in England as a result – and only a few matches into his England career he became infamous for jumping off a ferry and into Auckland harbour.
