Manu Tuilagi is back in action for the Leicester Tigers after a rather impressive Six Nations campaign with England, finishing second behind Wales, winning four of five matches. Tuilagi scored one try during the championship. Now he’s back in the Aviva Premiership, with extra bone crunching tackles to announce his return.
The victim? Flyhalf Daniel Bowden of the London Irish, who was voted as player of the year last season by his fellow peers, his debut season in the Northern Hemisphere, with the New Zealander beginning his career playing for Otago.
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Bowden did manage to offload the ball before Tuilagi speared him. Bowden later had to leave the match due to an ankle injury, although it’s pretty clear that Tuilagi’s hit didn’t really help his condition.
The Tigers, who had eight players in the England Six Nations squad, needed their guys back desperately, falling 8 points behind Harlequins, who lead the league, something Leicester have been used to do in recent seasons. They’ve won three league titles in the last five seasons, losing the final to Saracens in 2011.
Tuilagi, the youngest brother in a long line of Samoan internationals, has already been capped nine times for the national team, scoring five tries since making his debut on August 2011. He’ll only be turning 21 next May.