Six Nations: Manu Tuilagi back in England fold despite lack of match fitness

Manu Tuilagi, no more than a handful of games into his comeback after 15 long months of injury hassle, will resume his international career when England welcome Wales to Twickenham on Saturday in the Six Nations.

The Leicester centre has held his place in the squad at the expense of the gifted Saracens full-back Alex Goode, who will feel bitterly disappointed by this turn of events.

Tuilagi has not been seen in his country’s match-day party since the summer tour of New Zealand in 2014, thanks to a deep-seated groin problem, so the overwhelming likelihood is that coach Eddie Jones will run him as an impact player off the bench. “He may have only 20 minutes of Test rugby in him, but it could be quite a 20 minutes,” Jones said after the important victory over Ireland 11 days ago.

There was a second move on the selection front yesterday, with Jones retaining the Northampton tight-head prop Kieran Brookes ahead of a second Franklin’s Gardens front-rower, Paul Hill. Brookes was a member of last year’s World Cup squad, but injury issues opened the door for the uncapped Hill, who went on to make a first international appearance against Italy in Rome last month. Hill will now have to be content with some game time at club level.

After watching Tuilagi score a try in the Premiership victory over Exeter at Welford Road last weekend, the Leicester rugby director Richard Cockerill restated his view that the Samoan-born midfielder was short of match fitness in international terms. “What if a starting player gets knocked out after five minutes?” he asked. “Manu could be on for almost the whole game.”

But Jones has been keen, almost to the point of desperation, to fast-track England’s human bowling ball – not in his customary position of outside centre, but in the No 12 role. He believes Tuilagi has the power game to worry the best opposition defences with ball in hand, and the ferocious tackling game to reduce them to rubble should they have the temerity to attack down his channel.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, the young Exeter hooker, has been retained in a 24-man squad as cover for the Saracens forward Jamie George, who suffered an arm injury in training.

Meanwhile, Wasps flanker George Smith has been cited for striking an opponent in Saturday’s 13-10 Aviva Premiership defeat at Gloucester. Smith will face a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel in London tonight after being charged with striking James Hook on the side of the head with his knee at Kingsholm.

The 35-year-old former Australia openside has been magnificent for Wasps this season, leading the team in the absence of James Haskell and Matt Mullan, and was Premiership player of the month for February. He has also been conducting coaching sessions on the breakdown for England for his former Wallabies coach, Jones.