England insist Manu Tuilagi is fit and ready for next weekend’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.
The Red Rose will face Gregor Townsend’s side at Murrayfield on February 24th after back-to-back wins against Italy and Wales.
Tuirangi will be in contention for the fixture after recovering from a groin injury sustained while playing for club team Sale Sharks.
3 return to England
The powerful center has returned to England’s squad ahead of the next Six Nations, alongside Luke Cowan-Dickie and George Martin, who both returned from injury.
Olly Lawrence is not fit enough to be included in the 36-man squad but has joined Steve Borthwick’s squad alongside fly-half Marcus Smith as he continues his rehabilitation.
With Lawrence still on the sidelines, Tuilagi is more likely to start against Scotland, although he has only played two games since the Rugby World Cup.
He was on the field for just 122 minutes in total, his last game against Saracens in December 2022, but defense coach Felix Jones is not concerned.
“Manu was running around outside a little bit today (Wednesday). It wasn’t too intense, but he looked good,” Jones said.
“He’s experienced many times where he’s come back from injury and played less games and still been able to perform at a very high level. Experience counts a lot in those situations. .”
potential changes
If Tuirangi were to return to the XV, it would likely be at the expense of Fraser Dingwall, who made his international debut against Italy.
Dingwall then played another 80 minutes, this time scoring his first Test try in a 16–14 win over Wales.
Elsewhere in the backline, Borthwick may want to keep changes to a minimum, and that may also apply up front, although Martin’s return could force a slight reshuffling of the pack. There is.
The youngster, who can play as a flanker at lock or blindside, starred in the World Cup semi-finals and brought real physicality to the forward eight.
read more: Steve Borthwick of England team should be named for Calcutta Cup vs Scotland
