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Thursday
15:00
Premiership CupSale

Tuilagi's Sale switch is the talk of Twitter

England centre Manu Tuilagi has signed for Sale Sharks.

It’s been a busy day on social media following some major transfer news in the Gallagher Premiership this morning. After intense speculation surrounding his next move, England international Manu Tuilagi was confirmed as a Sale Sharks player, in a move which represents a major coup for Steve Diamond’s team.

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Tuilagi had been on the market for a new club since rejecting a new, cut-price contract with Leicester, ending his 11-year stay with the club. Leicester are expecting to lose £5m due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and have made more than 30 staff redundant.

Sale have experienced their own financial concerns recently, but Diamond told RugbyPass that Tuilagi joins on the same terms as the rest of the Sharks squad, who have agreed temporary 25 per cent pay cuts.

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Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott interview

Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott speaks ahead of Super Rugby AU Week Three, when Queensland faces the Western Force on Friday

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Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott interview

Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott speaks ahead of Super Rugby AU Week Three, when Queensland faces the Western Force on Friday

Yet all that matters to Sale supporters is that the club have signed up one of the most devasting players in the English game.

Despite attracting interest from a number of clubs, the British and Irish Lion has opted to stay in the Gallagher Premiership rather than pursue a big-money move to France or Japan, keeping his international Test career alive in the process.

Sale’s signing of Tuilagi is undoubtedly one of the biggest Premiership transfer deals in recent memory, and naturally social media went into overdrive following the announcement.

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Comments on RugbyPass

M
MO 6 minutes ago
Jason Ryan questions All Blacks preparation after 'messy' win

But they failed miserably and were totally inaccurate so not sure where the joy comes from

5 Go to comments
J
J Marc 9 minutes ago
The full list of 2024 World Rugby Awards winners

So Dupont will never be the G O A T

because he never wins titles, but when he wins titles he is not the POTY...I am strugling whith this logic...

43 Go to comments
R
RedWarrior 11 minutes ago
Four Ireland talking points after they soundly see off hyped Fiji

If you are a one-eyed jingoist from NZ then that statement would appear sensible, sure.

7 Go to comments
R
RedWarrior 11 minutes ago
Four Ireland talking points after they soundly see off hyped Fiji

I know, but 75% and ranked two, second to one of the greatest teams of all time is good enough for Ireland or anyone else. (Still Australia to be beaten for that). If Ireland put in a performance against Australia then I for one would be happier about the hiding to NZ.

7 Go to comments
R
RedWarrior 15 minutes ago
Joe Schmidt: 'You've got to be able to learn to roll with those punches'

Scotland are a serious team. Australia while obviously improving caught England a little between the NZ and SA matches. Scotland left a lot of points out there. The match was 27-6 with 10 mins left and could have ended 33-6 or even 40-6 such was Scotland's dominance. I don't think Scotland are that much better but fatigue is also a factor and it may hurt them next week against what looks like an Irish time with a lot of sharpness back.

3 Go to comments
J
J Marc 20 minutes ago
Sione Tuipulotu's 'full circle' moment against the Wallabies

Hum, for "the barnstorming try" , he had run 4 or 5 meters before the hooker throwed the ball....

Even if he was very good in this game.

1 Go to comments
J
JH 23 minutes ago
Men's 15s World Player of the Year was only a two horse race

I’ve never read such bull, I went back to the top of the article and saw that it was written by Ben Smith - no worries; makes sense now.

I realised that it was tripe when he started saying that a lock had only made half as many tackles as the world’s greatest flanker! Apples and oranges!

14 Go to comments
T
Tk 35 minutes ago
Three former All Blacks crown their players of the year

I agree that Sititi has been brilliant this season and hopefully will be an AB for a long time. However the one constant positive for the ABs this year has been the scrum, so players of the year have to be the larger gentlemen amongst us. Take a bow the props!

1 Go to comments
S
SL 38 minutes ago
'I have full belief that if we play well we can beat South Africa'

Rowlands has performed poorly this autumn. He is clearly not 100% fit as he did not make any yards with ball in hand and his impact at the breakdown was nowhere near his usual levels. it sums up the whole Welsh set up at the moment, simply not fit enough. There was 1kg difference in pack weights but the physicality and athleticism and desire of the SA pack was the benchmark for what Wales need to aspire to. Onus on the regions and the players themselves with personal pride to get themselves fitter.

7 Go to comments
W
Werner 43 minutes ago
'You can't miss 30-plus tackles': Schmidt on Wallabies loss as injuries pile up

Pfft sure, whatever you say Rayneo.


RP is the pinnacle of journalism and professionalism. They'd never allow misspelling or any biases

7 Go to comments
S
SL 48 minutes ago
Four Ireland talking points after they soundly see off hyped Fiji

Let's face it. Fiji put all their efforts into beating Wales. They targeted that game above all else. Fiji cannot play intense test match rugby week in week out. Ireland were ok but a little boring as usual and the decline will continue because this was not a real test of newcomers.

7 Go to comments
T
Toaster 49 minutes ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

True

But trending in the right direction I believe

No one compares yet to the Boks depth in the forwards but we still pushed them all the way in SA and that was a while ago


We have to be happy with progress at prop, lock which was a real worry before this season, the rise of Aumua and Vaai with Taukei’aho and Holland to come

Loosies considering three guys are injured


We have 6 quality props now which is staggering

79 Go to comments
N
Nickers 50 minutes ago
Seven Springboks make World Rugby men’s 15s dream team of the year

Matera as on of the flankers is an odd choice, I thought he was outplayed by JMG, Oveido, and Kremer when fit. In fact he probably comes off the bench in Argentina's top 23.


Albornoz at 10 over DMac as well. Marcus Smith has been very good but is guilty by association with England's terrible results.

18 Go to comments
T
Tom 51 minutes ago
Eddie Jones on Twickenham return: 'It wasn't bad until some clown abused me'

What's happened in this picture? Has Eddie shrank into a giant puffer jacket?

3 Go to comments
W
Werner 52 minutes ago
'You can't miss 30-plus tackles': Schmidt on Wallabies loss as injuries pile up

Gotta admire the Aussie optimism. They really thought that after a walk over game against Wales and narrow win over struggling England all their problems were solved and they were back.


Scotland have probably been the most underrated team imo and should be sitting a bit higher in the rankings. They were in no one a walk over and outside of the ABs and Springboks would have been the wallabies toughest opponents to date. Not sure where all this harsh criticism and expectations are for a team rebuilding is coming from

7 Go to comments
T
Tom 52 minutes ago
Ellie Kildunne named World Rugby women's 15s player of the year

Very well deserved.

1 Go to comments
C
CR 1 hour ago
Joe Schmidt: 'You've got to be able to learn to roll with those punches'

Just some basic errors and poor judgment by the players cost them. Noah kept trying the chip and it was clearly not working. He also didn’t get the kicking meters expected from an international 10. Poor performance by him.

3 Go to comments
M
MD 1 hour ago
The full list of 2024 World Rugby Awards winners

Surely for every century past and future.In fact don't bother having the award ever again.

43 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

You know the thing is this season, I agree whole heartedly with that statement, but then that yellow was also wrong in my mind. This same thing happened so often this year, something unfortunate goes wrong but it all leads back to a clear decision from Razor.


That he's talking about valuing the players experience so much is pretty much his anxiety in his own lack of experience. I think it's wrong at this point to fall back on a lesser version of experience in the players, just create your own sharp learning curves but going for it.

79 Go to comments
M
MD 1 hour ago
The full list of 2024 World Rugby Awards winners

Coach of the year,france 7s,choker,gold medal at Olympics.think not.

43 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame' 'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'
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