I’d answer England’s wing call says Manu Tuilagi

Manu Tuilagi is England’s most dangerous midfield weapon but the 21-year-old juggernaut insists he will have no problem moving out to the wing if asked by Stuart Lancaster.
After three wins from as many games in the Six Nations, England’s biggest concern comes with the form of Chris Ashton on the right wing – the Saracens man embarrassed by Wesley Fofana last week and looking woefully out of sorts despite a try in the opening game with Scotland.
Lancaster has admitted a potential solution, facilitated by the impressive form of Brad Barritt and Billy Twelvetrees, could be to move Tuilagi onto the wing – the position he occupied at age-group level.
And despite star turns in his last two England starts in his preferred centre role, against New Zealand and France, Tuilagi is ready to switch for the cause.
“I prefer playing in the centre, at outside mostly. You get more ball and get more space. You get involved a lot more,” said Tuilagi, who missed England’s opener against Scotland and was on the bench against Ireland because of an ankle injury.
“But if I get selected wherever, I’ll be happy to play. I’ve played on the wing before. This is only my second or third season in the centre, at school I was always on the wing and in the academy at Leicester as well. It’s not a problem to move to the wing.
“It was very frustrating being injured and watching the team. But the great thing was watching the team win and play well, and I was happy with the team performance. All you have to do is be positive.
“I had to work on my rehab. I did a lot of rehab on my shoulders to try to fix the little things I’ve had in the past.”
Tuilagi showed against Les Bleus that his commitment to the cause is not restricted to his willingness to move to the wing, having played 77 minutes with a horrific ear injury last Saturday.
He required surgery immediately after the game needing 19 stitches and the Leicester man revealed that the wound is still susceptible to reopen when caught.
However Tuilagi maintains that it will take a lot more than a bloody ear to force him off the pitch, although he will be getting a doctor to strap him up against the Italians rather than taking on the job himself as he did against France.
He added: “It should be all right against Italy because I’ve been strapping it up in training. I’ll put a pad on it, which should be able to take a bit of impact.
“In training this week it got hit again. Alex Goode was chasing me and got my ear again and it was bleeding. But all the stitches are still there, nice and tidy. It might happen again but I’ll be fine. If [Leicester team-mate Martin] Castrogiovanni gets my ear, I’ll get his hair.
“The surgeon did a really good job straight after the game. A 40-minute job but it was really well done. It will be a scar that stays with me for the rest of my life.
“I’ll just strap it like when I got injured, but this time I’ll strap it properly. In the game I strapped it but it wasn’t doing anything. The strapping didn’t really do anything, because I did it myself.
“The doc came on but the ref was calling the scrum and wasn’t going to wait for me. I ran to my position and wrapped it around at the same time. It was bleeding the whole time.
“I was just trying to see because the strapping dropped over my eyes. I was focusing on my vision.
“It would take a lot for me to come off. I remember in a Saracens game I hurt my left shoulder pretty badly just before half-time. I thought it would be all right, and I couldn’t lift my arm.
“I told the physio just to strap it and I played the game like that. I’ll stay out there as long as I can.
“I’ve no regrets about staying out there, I did pretty well after that. I just hate to be outside watching, I love the game, being up there and playing. It would be quite hard for something to stop me playing.”
PAUL EDDISON