Six Nations: Manu Tuilagi’s injury not believed to be too serious, says Richard Cockerill | Rugby Union News
England forwards coach said: “It’s not too serious as far as we know and hopefully, he’ll be back soon. Manu is in pretty good spirits. Unfortunately, this is part of professional sport.”; England host Wales at Twickenham on Saturday with a 4.45pm kick-off
Last Updated: 25/02/22 2:18pm
Manu Tuilagi will miss England’s encounter with Wales after a hamstring strain occured on Thursday
Manu Tuilagi’s hamstring strain isn’t believed to be too serious, according to England forwards coach Richard Cockerill.
Speaking on Friday ahead of England’s Six Nations Test against Wales, Cockerill said that the team are confident Tuilagi will return to action soon. The forwards coach added that the 30-year-old was still in good spirits.
Tuilagi was initially named in England’s starting line-up for their meeting with Wales, before Eddie Jones and his team of coaches had to scrap their original plans when Tuilagi suffered a hamstring strain later in the day on Thursday.
Guinness Six Nations – Round Three Fixtures
| Saturday at 2.15pm | Scotland vs France |
|---|---|
| Saturday at 4.45pm | England vs Wales |
| Sunday at 3pm | Ireland vs Italy |
The strain is to the same hamstring that was torn against South Africa in the autumn. With the man who Jones described as England’s “gainline accumulator” ruled out, Joe Marchant has been recalled to the squad and England are still to confirm their team for the fixture.
Currently, Tuilagi has not been ruled out of England’s final two rounds of the Six Nations against Ireland on March 12 and France on March 19. However, fans will have concerns about them given his injury history.
The centre’s England career has been chequered by ailments, with him missing 79 possible matches since debuting in 2011, including 50 of the 71 played since Jones took charge in 2015.
Guinness Six Nations – Table
| Played | Win | Draw | Loss | BP | LBP | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. France | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2. England | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 3. Ireland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 4. Scotland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 5. Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6. Italy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
“Manu had a slight hamstring strain at training on Thursday, so he’s left camp and is at home,” Cockerill, England’s forwards coach said.
“It’s not too serious as far as we know and hopefully, he’ll be back soon. Manu is in pretty good spirits. Unfortunately, this is part of professional sport.
“Manu has still got a smile on his face and is optimistic that he’ll be back playing for club and country pretty soon,” Cockerill added.
“On that front it’s pretty positive but obviously we’re disappointed for him personally, and it’s disappointing for the team as he’d have been an important part of the squad.”
