England vs Italy: Manu Tuilagi provides timely reminder why he can be Eddie Jones’ secret World Cup weapon

Joe Cokanasiga took the plaudits against Italy but it was the two-try display of Tuilagi that will have Jones smiling all the way to Japan 2019 - as long as he can keep his star centre fit

“What was the one thing you wished you'd had during the World Cup?” Stuart Lancaster was asked after England crashed out in 2015.

“Manu,” the outgoing coach replied without hesitation.

Let’s not get into the whole Sam Burgess affair again, but it’s fair to say if Manu Tuilagi had been fit and firing throughout 2015, the pressure to promote the former Great Britain rugby league skipper would not have been felt so keenly.

On his day, Tuilagi is a world beater.

The good news for England fans is that seven months out from the next instalment of world rugby’s showcase tournament, English rugby’s most treasured possession appears to be in rude health.

While Joe Cokanasiga took the headlines on Saturday night for his breath-taking display against Italy it was the performance of Tuilagi which could have the greatest impact on England’s hopes of winning the World Cup.

Eddie Jones controversial decision to pick a back-line trio comprising Cokanasiga, Tuilagi and Ben Te’o paid some dividends at Twickenham against an Italian team whose right to a guaranteed place in the tournament is now under serious question.

Henry Slade, a gifted footballer with the full range of footballing skills, is likely to replace Te’o in the midfield for England’s final Six Nations encounter against Scotland on Saturday but Tuilagi, on Saturday’s evidence, is here to stay.

The 17-stone Leicester centre, winning only his 32nd cap since make his international debut as a 20-year-old in 2011, looked lean, sharp and phenomenally powerful as he scored two tries, played a hand in two others and generally made a menace of himself throughout the game.

His first try, a 50m effort on 21 minutes, was his first for England in five years and reminded us of the unique qualities which took him to the top before injury laid him low.

Four years ago, in the midst of a hellish pelvic injury which left him needing regular and painful injections into his inflamed pelvic region, it looked for all the world as if his career, at international level at least, was over.

Tuilagi scored his first international try in more than five years (Reuters)

Knee surgery followed in early 2017 while repeated brushes with authority, including a charge of drunkenly assaulting a female police officer in 2015, were compounded when he was sent home from an England training camp in August 2017 following a drunken night out with Denny Solomona.

But such is Tuilagi’s value to England when fit and firing, Eddie Jones persevered with the errant star and was rewarded in spades on Saturday when the 27-year-old pulverised Italy’s defence with a series of powerful carries.

At times, he resembled the Manu of old.

With Racing Metro desperate to secure his signature and Leicester desperate to retain a player they have argued they have stuck by through thick and thin, Saturday’s performance will only have served to ramp up his market value even further, with £2.1m over three years already believed to be on the table from Racing, and Tuilagi must decide if he’s prepared to give up on his England career by playing oversees or stay put at Welford Road.

“We’ve taken his passport. So he’s not going to France in the next week. I’ve got it in my pocket,” Jones joked after the game.

What lies in store next season, remains to be seen. In the short term, let’s relish his return to form and fitness.

Manu Tuilagi scored two tries against Italy as England romped to victory (PA)

On this sort of form, few players in world rugby possess the combination of brute power, pace and footwork to match Tuilagi’s and his current state of form and fitness is testament not only to his determination and willpower, but also the medical teams who have worked on his behalf.

Of the 929 metres England made against Italy on Saturday, Tuilagi made 143 of them. He visibly intimidated Italy’s defenders, who were unable to cope with his massive frame and explosive power.

“I remember training against him a few times,” said Jonny Wilkinson, in the ITV studio. “He’s so powerful, so strong, you just can’t live with him when you go to tackle him.”

Italy certainly couldn’t live with him on Saturday, or any of England’s players for that matter, in their latest unconvincing Six Nations display. O’Shea defended his team’s performance again, but in reality there is no sign of Italy halting their 21-match losing streak in the Six Nations any time soon.

Tuilagi and Cokanasiga were both at their very best against Italy (Getty)

Jones’s team ran in eight tries, two of them from the resurgent Tuilagi, as O’Shea’s men were completely overwhelmed by England’s power at Twickenham. In cricket they call it flat-track bullying, in rugby they call it a drubbing.

Whether Jones retains his hulking backline against Scotland remains to be seen. A midfield combination of Owen Farrell, Tuilagi and Slade looked England’s best option when they beat Ireland in Dublin and in terms of invention, wit and balance, it still does.

Te’o was at fault for Italy’s first try but otherwise enjoyed a reasonable afternoon’s work. But England were in cruise control against Italy. They bullied them off the park.

The midfield debate will continue but for now, let’s hail Manu. Only he knows where he’ll be next season but for now, for England, he’s well and truly back.