by William Taylor | Johnny Wilkinson has heaped praise on England team mate, Manu Tuilagi following his impressive try against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. The giant Samoan-born outside-centre powered his way through the Irish defences to give his side the perfect send-off ahead of their World Cup campaign.
England boarded their flight to New Zealand today, and Wilkinson admitted that the performances of Tuilagi could be the difference for England over the next couple of months.
He said: “Having to deal with Manu in training has been challenging enough. Guys like Manu are going to be leading rugby as we know it. The try was superb – the power and the pace when he puts it together is the combination you are looking for. When you put him in space you have to enjoy it and have a smile on your face like he does.”
“We now feel we are on a decent platform, ready to launch into a big tournament, although we still have a lot of learning to do. We are in a good place going to the World Cup. I am content with everything and have an enthusiasm and excitement I have never had before.“
And those are strong words, considering the wave of confidence the England squad headed to Australia with back in 2003. But with New Zealand having lost consecutive games for the first time since 2009 and South Africa having struggled for form in the Tri Nations, England have every reason to be confident, whether they are wearing their best Canterbury Rugby Boots or not.
Getting another World Cup win would be against the odds, undoubtedly, but if it was to happen, maybe it wouldn’t be the biggest upset of all time.
Following the Ireland game, Tuilagi admitted his belief that England can challenge for the title, and says he has been impressed with his own form, and that of his team mates in preparation. He said: “Things are going really well, better than I would have hoped, and now I need to keep working hard and keep my feet on the ground. Credit to the forwards. We went out there hard right from the start – they did their job really well. We have to be hungry to make the tackles. I thought today the forwards did that well.â€
England begin their World Cup campaign against Argentina in Dunedin on September 10 in Pool B. Should they win the group, they could potentially face either New Zealand or France in the Quarter Finals.