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<\/p>\nThe centre will play against his homeland Samoa for England on Saturday <\/p>\n
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England vs Samoa in Pool D at the 2023 Rugby World Cup may not go down as the most important fixture in the tournament\u2019s history, especially given that one team are already through to the quarter-finals and the other all but out.<\/p>\n
However, for the Tuilagi rugby dynasty, it will be one of the most special and historic days of their sporting lives as the youngest member of the rugby-playing clan faces his homeland for the very first time.<\/p>\n
After more than a decade in the international game, there is little that Manu Tuilagi hasn\u2019t done but when he pulls on the No 13 England jersey on Saturday in Lille, he will be squaring off against not only the country in which he was born but the very team after which he was named.<\/p>\n
All five of the powerful centre\u2019s older brothers \u2013 Freddie, Andy, Alesana, Henry and Vavae \u2013 represented Samoa and when Freddie was called up to the 1991 Rugby World Cup squad, his parents celebrated by naming their new-born son Etuale Manusamoa Tuilagi, or Manu for short, with Manu Samoa being the name given to the country\u2019s national rugby team.<\/p>\n
Having been born in Fogapoa, a village with a population of 309 on Savai\u2019i island, Manu joined his elder brothers in the UK as a youngster and followed in their footsteps to play for Leicester Tigers, before going his own way by electing to represent England.<\/p>\n
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But his Samoan heritage has helped define him as a person and a rugby player, with his physical ball-carrying and hard-hitting defence making him the most enticing of weapons to be deployed for a series of England coaches, even if injuries have perhaps stopped him having a generational impact.<\/p>\n
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Manu Tuilagi\u2019s powerful running has been a weapon for England for more than a decade <\/p>\n
So how will Samoa go about stopping one of their own as they look to beat England for the first time in their history?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be unapologetically Samoan,\u201d explained Samoa skills coach Tusi Pisi. \u201cHe [Tuilagi] understands that. He plays like that. Give him a gift, he\u2019ll give us a gift. Back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second row Brian Alainu\u2019u\u2019ese detailed exactly what being \u201cunapologetically Samoan\u201d involves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means doing your job as best you can, being physical in everything that you do. And with a smile on your face,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s massive for me, for my family. We are a small country but we punch above our weight and I\u2019m really honoured and privileged to be in the situation I am in right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The impact of all the Tuilagi brothers at Leicester Tigers over the years has been monumental, with the Welford Road faithful taking them into their hearts.<\/p>\n
They helped Leicester become a juggernaut throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and another long-term Tiger, Dan Cole, detailed the impact they have had in the East Midlands and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been massive,\u201d said Cole, who will start at prop for England on Saturday. \u201cThe way in which the brothers have played for Leicester and performed. Culturally they\u2019ve set the tone in the way they\u2019ve played.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo on YouTube, just type in their names and go watch five-minute clips of them running over people and you will find out what they are about. They have that immense physical presence. There are plenty (of Tuilagi tackles) I enjoy, maybe because none of them have been on me! Just go on YouTube and enjoy three hours\u2019 worth of content of those guys hitting people and that\u2019s your afternoon done.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen some highlights this week of Henry and Alesana. We know about the physicality, but Alesana, there was one season he was unstoppable, he\u2019d run over people, have the ability to catch, pass, offload and as a decoy runner, Manu is a similar vein. They\u2019re fantastic players and are a fantastic part of why Leicester were successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Manu\u2019s older brother Alesana Tuilagi became a cult hero for Leicester Tigers <\/p>\n
Cole also had plenty to say about Manu specifically, as his importance to England has only grown over the years, since his debut back in 2011.<\/p>\n
“Manu has been a big part of England since 2010 or 2011 when he got capped \u2013 the way he plays on the front foot, the physicality he brings and the deftness of the touches around the field,\u201d added Cole.<\/p>\n
“In defence, he is also a big presence. He is a great player for us and I know he is very excited for this weekend. It\u2019s the first time he has ever played against Samoa so he and his family are really looking forward to the occasion.<\/p>\n
“When he first played he was an outstanding talent, you knew that straight away. He burst onto the scene and he was unstoppable. As time has gone on he\u2019s married, had children. It matures a man and he has embraced that role. You\u2019ve gone from a young guy, who was obviously very talented, to that more senior role in the team. He has a wealth of experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuilagi has impressed at No 12 during this World Cup, with Joe Marchant outside him and George Ford running the show from fly half on the inside.<\/p>\n
The return of captain Owen Farrell from his red card ban has prompted coach Steve Borthwick into a reshuffle however, as Ford stays at 10 but Farrell takes the 12 jersey, pushing Tuilagi to outside centre and Marchant onto the wing in a strategy that looks set to be kick-heavy in attack.<\/p>\n
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George Ford and Owen Farrell have been reunited in the England line-up <\/p>\n
Ford-Farrell-Tuilagi was the 10-12-13 axis that shone at the 2019 World Cup, especially in the iconic semi-final victory over the All Blacks, but four years on, there is a lingering suspicion that Tuilagi may now be less suited to the No 13 role \u00ad\u2013 with teams able to outflank him in defence, leaving England too narrow without the ball.<\/p>\n
But if Ford and Farrell are to be part of the same team, then that is the role the 32-year-old will likely play. However, Pisi is aiming to ruin Tuilagi\u2019s special day and is convinced Samoa have the horses to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have never beaten England. If we do what we\u2019ve trained and prepared for and we win against England, that\u2019s the main thing,\u201d added the coach. \u201cWe prepared very well during the week and we\u2019re ready for a good battle. It\u2019s an opportunity for us to make history and we understand that. They kick a lot, it\u2019s part of their strength. We have trained during the week to nullify it.\u201d<\/p>\n
No matter how it plays out, this is a day Manu Tuilagi and the entire Tuilagi dynasty are unlikely to forget.<\/p>\n