Manu Tuilagi can 'destroy' the All Blacks at 2019 Rugby World Cup but has a long way to go, says Eddie Jones

Tuilagi has been plagued by injuries but remains pivotal to Jones's plan to conquer the All Blacks in two years' time

Friday 04 August 2017 22:00 BST

Manu Tuilagi has been backed by Eddie Jones to help 'destroy' New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup (Getty)

England head coach Eddie Jones has praised Manu Tuilagi’s dedicated recovery from injury and says he can “demolish New Zealand” after being brought back into his plans to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

26-year-old Tuilagi has played just once for England in the last three years and has been side-lined with a knee injury since January, but the Leicester centre was been selected in England’s three-day pre-season training camp to prepare for the new season and the autumn internationals, even if Jones says he still has work to do before he’s fit enough to be playing again.

“He’s moving in the right direction, but he’s a hell of a long way away from playing Test rugby,” Jones said at Twickenham on Friday. “I’m impressed by his dedication and he’s had a tough time.

“The amount of injuries he’s had will be enough to knock people away but he’s in good physical condition.”

Jones’s preparations are well underway for the 2019 World Cup in Japan and the Australian believes Tuilagi could be the difference between winning and losing against the All Blacks if the two nations remain ranked first and second in World Rugby’s rankings and avoid each other until the final.

“'He was a player that demolished New Zealand and we need those kinds of players,” Jones added. “There are definitely some gaps in New Zealand's team they didn't previously have.

England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

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1/15England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Will Collier, tighthead prop, 25 years old (Harlequins)

Eddie Jones says: “Collier is a really steady tighthead. Scrummaging wise he probably has the best body position of anyone in the Premiership, so it is a great opportunity for him. And then we have got the young boy Hill who we brought in last year – he probably stagnated a little bit this year with a lack of game-time which is difficult for him but again it is an opportunity for him to develop. I am pleased with the strength we have got in that area.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Harry Williams, tighthead prop, 25 (Exeter Chiefs)

Eddie Jones says: “We have got Harry Williams who is a big unit. He needs a haircut though, so I will have to chat to him about that – he is not short of a tattoo though. He is a good scrummager. He has got to work a bit around the field, so we will work on that with him. He has really impressed and developed nicely under Rob Baxter – he is a real credit to their club.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Nick Isiekwe, lock, 19 (Saracens)

Eddie Jones says: “We have the young guy from Sarries coming in [Isiekwe] who is potentially a very good player. When you look at where he is now compared to where Maro was when he came into the Six Nations, he is going to be a really good player this boy, a really good player. So he is exciting. I can’t compare as I didn’t see Maro at that age. What I know is that he can be a very good player if he works hard enough, he is obsessed to want to be great, he has the potential to be a very good player.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Ben Curry, flanker, 18 (Sale Sharks)

Eddie Jones says about the Curry brothers: “I'm looking forward to working with the Currys because I want to find out if I can tell the difference between the two of them. They tell me one's got short hair and one's a bit stockier. I've played with the Ellas and they were hard to work out who was who. They would swap roles and no-one knew. We're going to have to find a way to work out who's who. I hear they're very competitive about everything: A-levels, their weight, their haircuts, their girlfriends, everything. I think we'll keep them competing against each other.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Tom Curry, flanker, 18 (Sale Sharks)

Eddie Jones says about the Curry brothers: “I'm looking forward to working with the Currys because I want to find out if I can tell the difference between the two of them. They tell me one's got short hair and one's a bit stockier. I've played with the Ellas and they were hard to work out who was who. They would swap roles and no-one knew. We're going to have to find a way to work out who's who. I hear they're very competitive about everything: A-levels, their weight, their haircuts, their girlfriends, everything. I think we'll keep them competing against each other.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Sam Underhill, flanker, 20 (Ospreys/Bath)

Eddie Jones says: “He’s got good potential as an openside flanker, he’s a genuine openside flanker, he’s dedicated, he’s determined, he’s desperate to play for England, we’re delighted to have him. He’s an out and out seven but he could play six. The Ospreys have done a really good job bringing him through and we’re grateful for the work they’ve done.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Jack Maunder, scrum-half, 20 (Exeter Chiefs)

Eddie Jones says: Maunder's an interesting player. He's a cheeky little bugger, that's what I like about him. He's got something about him. His pass is okay but he looks for opportunities, generally makes good decisions and he's a good size of a lad. We're excited by him and he's young. He's only just 20.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Piers Francis, fly-half, 26 (Auckland Blues/Northampton Saints)

Eddie Jones says: “I've watched a fair bit of him playing. I know he played for Doncaster a few years ago, Doncaster to Auckland is bit of a change. He's got a good kicking game, is a big, strong lad and he presents a different option for us at 10 and that's what we're looking for. Good, solid player. He’s got a good kicking game, he’s very good defensively, he likes putting his head in the dark areas. He plays very deep but that’s the Kiwi way so we’ll have to work on that with him and I’m sure we can. He’s an interesting player and he’s good enough to play Super Rugby. He’s a handy player.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Alex Lozowski, fly-half, 23 (Saracens)

Eddie Jones says: “Lozowski is a good player, I’ve been really impressed. I think he’s been the best find of the Premiership. He’s come in, he’s got a nice feel about the game and he’s a rugged defender and he kicks his goals. He works hard and he’s a good fella.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Sam James, centre, 22 (Sale Sharks)

Eddie Jones says: “James is a bit like Denny. Sale have a way of producing quite funny sort of players. There’s nothing great about him but he finds the line, he finds space and he’s strong and has a good feel for the game.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Joe Marchant, centre, 20 (Harlequins)

Eddie Jones says: “This is the ideal opportunity to bring young guys through. The talent there is just so exciting – look at it, good young athletes, desperate, desperate to play for England. Every time they play for their club, they are willing to die for their club, obsessed by being great, and if players aren’t like that, then they won’t play for England.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Harry Mallinder, centre/full-back, 20 (Northampton Saints)

Eddie Jones says: “I think he can play 15 and I think he can play centre and I think he can potentially play on the wing. Big, strong lad. Good in the air. Massive kicking game. Kicks the ball 60m. Needs to work on his defence, but for a young player that’s OK. He’s got a feel for the game. Possibly to start with he might be looked at as a winger or centre or full back, I’m not sure yet.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Denny Solomona, wing, 23 (Sale Sharks)

Eddie Jones says: “There’s something about him. He finds the line. He’s got that ability, when he gets the ball, to score a try. I went to watch him against Gloucester at the weekend. He’s still got a lot of work to do on his game, positionally, but we can work on those areas with him. He’s got a certain amount of X-factor about him though.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Joe Cokanasiga, wing, 19 (London Irish)

Eddie Jones says: “He’s big mate. And he’s fast. That’s the only thing I see, I don’t care who he plays for, he could be playing for anyone. He’s big and fast.”

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England's uncapped players to tour Argentina

Nathan Earle, wing/full-back, 22 (Saracens)

Eddie Jones says: “I’m interested in this Nathan Earle from Saracens. I watched him play ITM Cup for Canterbury and he’s got real potential. He’s a big, tall guy who’s got pace, so he has been selected ahead of Christian [Wade] and Marland [Yarde]. There are a lot of disappointed players. Given that we’ve had 16 picked for the Lions, we’ve still got a lot of good players who haven’t been picked by England, which shows the depth of talent in England.”

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“I think they'll fix it but it certainly makes them more vulnerable than they were before. At the moment there's a gap between us and New Zealand, so we're going in the right direction but we've but we've got a hell of a lot of work to do to get there.”

Jones met Tuilagi in Leicester to discuss his future over a coffee before the Lions tour and revealed the 26-year old is determined to pull on an England shirt again, having only accumulated 26 caps since his Test debut in 2011.

“He’s a laid back boy, you don’t change his personality but I think he loves rugby and he wants to play for England. He loves playing for England and he wants to get back and play for the Tigers so he’s doing everything he can to get ready.

“At this stage we’re happy with his progress and I believe they (Leicester Tigers) are, so everything’s pretty positive.”

Manu Tuilagi has not played since suffering injury in January (Getty)

When he is fully fit, Tuilagi is one of the most dangerous centres in the world. In 2012 he inspired England to a historic 38-21 win against the All Blacks. The then 21-year-old brought Twickenham to its feet as he sent Chris Ashton away for the second try before scoring the third himself, with his superb handling usually associated with All Blacks and defensive dominance announcing his full arrival on the international stage.

“If he can get himself fit, he can definitely make a strong return. If his motivation and desire is right, he can be an outstanding player for us and add to the depth of the squad,” said Jones.

Jones has set his sights on beating the All Blacks in 2019 (Getty Images)

“I don’t look at it as a frustration because it’s something we can’t control. At the moment everything looks pretty positive so we’ve got to pray that this positivity keeps going and has a period where he can be injury free and show what he’s capable of.”

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