That's why you do the pre-season and go in every day for those type of games. 'We haven't been in a home semi-final for 16 years. Before that, it won't be easy when Sale face his former club, Leicester, in a Premiership home semi-final on May 13. It won't be easy this summer, when Tuilagi and the rest of Steve Borthwick's England squad are put through a gruelling, pre-World Cup training camp. It's not easy but that's the beauty of it.' Tuilagi certainly doesn't come across as if he intends to stop playing any time soon and when asked how long he might carry on, he adds: 'You can't put a time on it. He is looking forward to facing his former club, Leicester, in a Premiership semi-final on May 13 I'd love to go to the World Cup and if I do everything right now, the next day, next week or whatever, then I have an opportunity to keep playing.' 'Sometimes you have a plan and think, "I want to be there or there" but all we have is now,' he says. Trying to clarify whether he intends to or not is a complex task though. Now Tuilagi will be on board at Sale for at least another season, it opens up the possibility that he could extend his Test career beyond the World Cup. He says, "The rook's coming, the rook's coming!". 'In a game, Jonny would call me the rook. 'Me and Jonny May talk about this a lot,' he said. The unexpected comparison prompts a question about what chess piece he would be and Tuilagi has an answer ready, as it has been discussed at length with an England team-mate. It's beautiful - like chess! It can be very physical in chess, on the board! It depends how you want to play.' There's so much more to it than people think. 'I love rugby,' he said, with a distant, wistful look. When he starts talking about his day job, there is just the same sense of profound enthusiasm as he has always exhibited - perhaps even more than ever. Tuilagi is still in love with the game which has tested his mental resolve over so many injury-blighted years. 'It's sort of the history of England, when the Vikings came to take over. 'My favourite is The Last Kingdom,' he said. So, mornings have been a culinary work in progress and in the evenings, Manu and Chantelle will debate how quickly to plough through their latest favourite 'box-set' series.
Tuilagi explained that England team-mate Jonny May would refer to him as chess piece 'rook' My kids have them with Nutella and strawberries.' You have to get the pancake nice and fluffy that's the key. 'You don't want it too watery or too thick and you have to get the heat of the pan right. 'I always try to find the best recipe and it took a while, so we were having pancakes most days, to see if they were any good,' he says. Tuilagi spends five minutes explaining his dedication to this new craft. It turns out that cooking pancakes and waffles has become a personal obsession. Then back home, put him down for a nap and see what my missus wants me to do! She has a list of jobs!' 'My daughter puts her order in the night before, then she goes to school and I take my boy to Lymm Dam (their local lake) to feed the ducks and get a coffee at a nice little coffee truck down there. This northern branch of the Tuilagi clan - Manu, wife Chantelle, daughter Leilani Lea'auta (five) and son Leo Vavae (two) - live in a picturesque village near the club's training ground and have some well-established routines, which is where the pancakes, waffles and ducks come in.Īsked what goes on when he's not training or playing, Tuilagi sys: 'Waffles and pancakes in the morning for breakfast. He feels grateful for receiving that at Sale and loyal towards Sanderson and his coaching staff.īut there is a general state of contentment behind his decision to stay, which extends beyond the pitch.
Tormented by injuries in recent seasons, Tuilagi requires care and attention to keep him in peak condition. 'We did look around in case, but sometimes, when you make your mind up, you stick to that to the end - that's what's happened. I just thought, "Let's hold off and something might come up". 'I wanted to stay but I spoke to Al and he was like, "There's nothing there!".
The England centre, 31, could also extend his international career beyond the World Cup
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