Many things stick in the mind from England’s last Twickenham victory against New Zealand, in 2012, but the common denominator in all of them is Manu Tuilagi. The flicked offload for Brad Barritt’s try, the thundering burst, bouncing off Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, to set up Chris Ashton or picking off Kieran Read’s pass for his intercept try – Tuilagi was a force of nature that afternoon. Maybe the most memorable aspect, though, is the enormous grin on his face just as the All Blacks have completed the haka; the simple, undiluted joy from what he has just witnessed, of what he is about to do. A moment of serenity before unleashing his unique brand of chaos.
Ten years on, sitting in England’s lavish hotel in leafy Surrey, Tuilagi is shown the highlights of that match. He has seen them plenty of times before – it is, after all, England’s biggest win against New Zealand – but he cannot help but laugh. He is too bashful to do anything but stay silent when watching his own try but the way he chuckles when seeing Barritt and Ashton score shows that the joy is undiminished. “One of the best games that I was involved in. I love seeing it.” It is astonishing to think that match was 10 years ago, equally that Tuilagi was only 21 but it was already his 17th cap. “I was so young back then,” he recalls; but, he adds: “I remember it like it was yesterday.”
Clearly facing the All Blacks brings the best out of Tuilagi because seven years later, after a run of injuries that might have ended most international careers, there he was in Yokohama, scoring England’s try in their World Cup semi-final win against the All Blacks and denting their defensive line throughout. England have beaten New Zealand twice since 2003, Tuilagi has been to the fore on both occasions and you suspect that if they are to do so again on Saturday his role will be pivotal. “Only you know how genuine the conviction is and you’ve got to have that,” he says. “I know the boys will this weekend, without a doubt.”
Tuilagi has finished watching the highlights reel and what strikes him most is how, back then, he was someone who lived off instinct. You can imagine Stuart Lancaster, head coach at the time, was perfectly happy with that, allowing Tuilagi to embrace the chaos, but since then he has learned to relish his role within the wider structure. “I probably understand the game a lot more. I think I played a little bit more off the instinct which is natural as a young lad but now I understand the gameplan, I understand the need to execute the gameplan and I have a role to play in that. But the enjoyment of the game has not changed.”
Tuliagi remembers that in the buildup to the 2012 match no one gave England a chance. They had beaten Fiji comfortably but then suffered defeats by Australia and South Africa and so their preparations for meeting an All Blacks side unbeaten in 21 matches centred around instilling belief in the squad. It was the same three years ago when Eddie Jones famously sliced kiwi fruit in two with a samurai sword, and having the “conviction” that Tuilagi speaks of will be key again on Saturday.
“That week [in 2012] we just talked about belief and I think that word is massive. You have got to believe in yourself,” he adds. “You’ve got to believe that you’re going to win the game otherwise your mindset is going in there hoping it will happen. You’ve got to have the mindset of going in there and imposing our game on them, not the other way around.” And facing the haka? “One of the most amazing things you see on the field. Standing in front of it. To witness the history of that country being displayed in front of you is amazing. It lays down the challenge and you’ve got to accept it.”
Tuilagi, 31, is now at the stage of his career where his workload must be managed. He wasn’t going to face Japan at all last week until Jones decided that “it’d be good to top him up” and he appeared for 16 minutes off the bench. There are times when he can be seen doing his own thing in training, much more in tune with what his body needs than in years gone by, but around the camp there is no one more popular.
Jones describes him as “the ultimate team man” and when Tuilagi talks of the “optimism” he has maintained throughout all his spells on the sidelines you get a glimpse of why his teammates are so fond of him. That and the sheer presence he brings on the field and for the younger members of the squad this week, those who have never faced the All Blacks, there will be something reassuring about seeing Tuilagi across the breakfast table.
“What I say to the boys is that you’re not here by accident, you’re good enough, you’re the best in the country,” he says. “Nothing is going to be perfect, if you’re lucky enough to play a perfect game, that’s a bonus. But do your role, your job as well and take things on, take the game on. It’s a good challenge to have. I don’t think that there are many things in life where you have to take on the physical and the mental at the same time but in sport you have the opportunity to do that.”
All going well, Tuilagi will win his 50th England cap against South Africa on Saturday week or, to put it another way, he has managed only 31 in the 10 years since dismantling the All Blacks. Without his injury problems he would be well into three figures by now but there will be no regret – “I don’t want that, if I get there I will be over the moon” – for Tuilagi is happy with his lot, surrounded by teammates and a family man.
Indeed, on the players’ day off on Sunday, families were invited into camp and a soft-play centre was set up for their kids at the training base. As Tuilagi says: “If you want to practise chaos, that is the place.”
