Rugby World Cup 2019: Manu Tuilagi’s inspired display proves he can finally live up to England star billing

If it was unclear just how important Manu Tuilagi is to England’s Rugby World Cup assault, then Sunday’s double-try salvo made it crystal clear.

The centre, so often lauded as unplayable when he is at his very best, proved to be England’s gamechanger against Tonga as his two scores in the first half allowed his side to pull away from the Pacific Islanders and ensure that there would be no early derailment.

His all-round performance was perhaps the greatest sign of his worth to this team, given not even the hugely physical Tongan defence could stop him.

It may just be the case that Tonga proved the creators of their own downfall, at least where Tuilagi is concerned. He may not be of Tongan heritage – despite what too many pundits were appearing to claim on Sunday evening – but a chance to play against a Polynesian side still meant an awful lot to the 28-year-old, such are his Samoan roots.

And, while the rest of the 35,923 in attendance at the Sapporo Dome watched a terrifying Sipi Tau before kick-off, Tuilagi merely stood there, taking it all in and using that Tongan display of aggression to fuel the fire within him.

“It’s where I’m from,” Tuilagi said of his experience facing the Sipi Tau. “It’s a privilege to stand in front of the Tongan war dance. It was brilliant.

“It definitely fired us all up for that game. It definitely fired me up watching that. It was good to be standing in front of it. It’s an unbelievable experience. I haven’t done that before. I’ve only played Fiji before – where they perform the Cibi – but the first time against Tonga was unreal.”

Sunday’s performance had been a long time coming on the biggest stage, given Tuilagi was forced to miss the 2015 World Cup through injury and ill-discipline. Eight years ago, he made headlines for the right reasons with tries against Georgia and Romania, before making headline for the wrong reasons after jumping off a ferry into Auckland harbour soon after England’s quarter-final elimination.

This is a different Tuilagi now, a father who took delight in receiving messages from his wife, daughter and family after the game, rather than any boozy celebrations. But the aspects of his game remain the same as they ever were: unmatchable power, brute strength and the ability to inflict damage on the opposition time after time that not only opens opportunities for him, but for his teammates too.

“You’ve got to use Manu in the right way,” said his club and country colleague George Ford. “I don’t think it’s a case of just giving him the ball and saying ‘go on Manu, run into five blokes’. You’ve got to use him wisely to try to get him one-on-ones because ultimately he’ll break that tackle for us and get a line break or quick ball at the very least.

“That was probably what we were trying to do in terms of being patient and strike at the right time. Elliot [Daly] gave a brilliant ball to Jonny [May] and Manu had a great support line, so it’s just using him in different ways. You saw he carried the ball a lot as well, particularly from first phase as he broke some tackles, but you can use him as a decoy as well which is great.”

Players like Tuilagi bring the best out of others on his side, both through their performance and knowing that the man standing next to them is genuinely world class. It is hard to think of another centre quite like him currently in world rugby – perhaps the closest is New Zealand’s Sonny Bill Williams or Australia’s Samu Kerevi, but even they cannot match his strength in the collision.

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“He’s is showing everyone what a great player he truly is,” added Maro Itoje. “This is going to be the longest period he’s been healthy for a couple of years. Day by day he is getting better. Over the last two years, in camp, he’s been amazing to watch because he has upped his preparation with getting his body right and I think that is paying dividends.”

The same message emitted from Billy Vunipola – the other man in white with roots in the Pacific Islands.

Vunipola found himself targeted by the Tongans in what felt like a pre-construed message to remind him of what being a Tongan really means. The difference was that, where Vunipola had to ride the rough treatment before getting the better of the opposition, Tuilagi simply gave it back to them – and then some.

His walloping tackle on the left wing Viliami Lolohea was on the limit of being legal, while his ability to skittle defenders like a bowling ball brought huge success. There are not many players who would have finished his first try, breaking the tackle of Leicester Tigers teammate Sione Kalamafoni and carrying two others across the line with him.

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To put that into comparison, Kalamafoni smashed Anthony Watson into next week with a bone-crunching tackle, but there was nothing he could do about Tuilagi.

“The guy is a machine,” said Vunipola. “The way he scored that first try, shrugged off two or three people and got over was pretty awesome to watch. We are very lucky to have him on the team.”

With Tuilagi, it is impossible not to fear that the worst could be looming just around the corner. A man who is built to what essentially is breaking point will every now and then … break, and unfortunately his career shows that happens more often than not.

But he is being managed correctly by both Leicester and England these days, and if Eddie Jones and his side can find the optimum way to get the most out of him while using his talents sparingly, he undoubtedly has the tools to be England most valuable player at Japan 2019.