Eddie Jones challenges Leicester Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi to prove he can get back to his best

Eddie Jones has challenged Manu Tuilagi to prove he is capable of not only forcing his way back into the England squad by regaining his fitness, but rediscovering the destructive form that saw him run riot against the All Blacks five years ago.

Having signed off 2017 with a 48-14 victory over Samoa that gives England nine wins form 10 Tests this year, Jones is already planning for the side’s defence of the Six Nations in February – something that he has been very clear about intending to win for an historic third time given no other nation has done so outright in the championship’s history.

The 57-year-old used this year to build his strength-in-depth, handing out 12 new caps over the last 12 months, but Leicester Tigers centre Tuilagi has not featured at all in 2017 and hasn’t appeared in an international since coming off the bench in the 2016 Six Nations victory over Italy.

Tuilagi, who has made just one England appearance in three-and-a-half years due to string of long-term injuries, is not due back from his latest lay-off until mid-December, giving him little more than a month to impress Jones and try to force his way into the England squad for the Six Nations.

His cause will not be helped by the late-night alcohol-fuelled incident at an August training camp that led to both he and Sale Sharks wing Denny Solomona being sent home, but Jones has not closed the door on Tuilagi just yet.

“If he ever gets himself right then of course we do,” Jones said. “All I can remember is him playing at his best against New Zealand. If he is capable of doing that consistently then there’s a chance of being in our squad.”

But after so long out of the Test fold, and the best part of four years of his body repeatedly letting himself down, can the 26-year-old rekindle that form of five years ago, where he was a key part of the 38-21 victory over New Zealand that remains the last time that England beat the reigning world champions?

“That’s what we are going to find out – his desire to work hard,” Jones added. “As you get older it gets harder to come back from those injuries so we will see. Time will be the teacher there.”

The good news for Tuilagi is that, providing he keeps himself clean disciplinary-wise, Jones will not rule out anyone from his 2019 Rugby World Cup plans until he has to tie down his 31-man squad in just under two years’ time. While he has nearly completed his aim of finding three different options in each position – with tighthead prop and scrum-half the only areas of concern left – Jones will keep his selection open-minded right up until the tournament gets underway in Japan.

Asked when he will stop looking for squad depth, Jones said: “When we play the first game of the World Cup. We don’t need to be at our best until the seventh game of the World Cup. We need to be sharp at the first game of the World Cup. You have got to remember, everything we do is geared towards the first game of the World Cup.

“Having experienced it with South Africa in 2007, they lost three of their four Tri-Nations games before the World Cup and then they had an unbelievably good preparation and were at their best for the World Cup. The only time you need to be at your best is at the World Cup.”