Welcome Back Manu, It's Going To Be Interesting!

MANU Tuilagi will want to hit the ground running when Leicester open their campaign against Bath today at Welford Road. However, after virtually three years out of the game with injury it will not as easy as it sounds.

How successful he is will all depend on his mental state. It’s about how well-prepared he is in mind as well as body. The groin injury that kept him out for the longest period of time will have been mentally and physically a very debilitating period. It wears you down psychologically mainly because you do not have a return date.

If, for instance, you break a bone you know that it’s about three months before you will be back training. A groin injury is much more tricky, because you never quite know where you are with it.

Having had the same injury twice during my career I know that it’s hard not having a return date to work towards. I was out for eight or nine months the first time, and the problem is you will test the injury – and sometimes over-test it. And then you are back to the drawing board.

With Tuilagi’s most recent knee problem he seems to have adjusted to it, and has managed to get back into training much more quickly. Even so, it is inevitable that there will be doubt in his mind that his body will hold up, and he will probably feel the odd niggle – but the more you play the more the doubts recede as your confidence grows.

However, his nerves will be all about the injury rather than any jitters over his ability to play top-level rugby again.

As I’ve said before, I’m not interested in a discussion over whether he deserves another chance for England, because his first priority is to get back and start playing well for Leicester. Without that, talk of playing for England is premature.