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Manu Tuilagi has been hailed as the best player in the world as the destructive England centre looks to produce another stellar display against New Zealand.
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Tuilagi is set to be restored to the midfield for Saturday’s Twickenham showdown after being given a supporting role from the bench in a thumping victory over Japan that nudged the autumn back on track.
And his occasional centre partner Henry Slade believes the All Blacks will be wary of the threat he poses after seeing him cut loose in their 2012 and 2019 defeats to England.
“We have a really good relationship off the field and that translates on to it,” said Slade, who played as a replacement full-back against the Brave Blossoms.
“Manu’s a great guy and what he brings to the team is pretty obvious in terms of how powerful he is. I don’t think there’s any other centre like him in world rugby.
“In my view, he’s the best player in the world because of what he can give you.
“For a guy who doesn’t do weights… he doesn’t do any and he’s one of the most powerful guys I’ve ever met, so it’s pretty scary what he could be like.
“It’s not just about what he brings in terms of getting over the gain line, but the amount of space he can create for others by doing that and by being the threat he is.
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“If you go to the line, you have to respect that Manu could get the ball and bust you at any point. The headaches he must give defences is nuts. He’s awesome to play with.
“He has done great things against the All Blacks in the past, but he can do great things against any team. He is a hard guy to stop.
“Having him in the team always gives you that bit of confidence, that good feeling. It’s going to be a big weekend for him and he’s a big guy for us.”
He's definitely a great player, but is he better than say, Cheslin Kolbe or Ritchie McCaw? (and we could add a dozen more).
I think those 'best player' notions are silly.
he isn't the best player in the world, but its nice that his friends think so!
Guys like Tulagi are a dime a dozen in NZ. They literally are all through our rugby system.
If that's true you should start playing them in the ABs. Considering last time Tuilagi played the ABs they had their pants pulled down into the WC semi final....
I'm from NZ and theres definitely not. Tulagi is a lot more skilful than people may think, he has an innate ability to know when and where the defensive line is vulnerable. Ma'a Nonu could and since he's retired hasn't been replaced. Second fives that can do this need size, strength, commitment to take on the defensive wall, acceleration. They also need to be able to not lose possession and have excellent work rate with the ability to distribute. Jordie Barrett will be a good matchup for Tulagi, he is a different sort of gain line threat, not as explosive as Tulagi but may be just as effective at gaining metres with a formidable quick centre outside him.
So where are they? Noone from the ABs in recent years can do anything like him.