Eddie Jones Believes He Has A Secret Weapon To Defeat The All Blacks

Eddie Jones believes Manu Tuilagi can “demolish” the All Blacks.

The Leicester centre has been named in the latest England training squad as he looks to revive his Test career after an injury-ridden few seasons. Tuilagi has played just 20 minutes of Test rugby since Jones took the England helm in December 2015

Tuilagi shone brightly in England’s 38-21 win over New Zealand at Twickenham in the 2012 autumn series and Jones has backed the centre to return to those heights despite his recent injury woes.

“I caught up with Manu before the tour, we went to a cafe in Leicester,” Jones said.

“We’re confident he’s moving in the right direction, but he’s still a hell of a long way away from playing Test rugby.

“We’ll just have a look at him at the camp and take it from there. I’ve got no idea where he is really until we see him. But I do know he can demolish the All Blacks, so he’s worth time, he’s worth effort and worth a lot of care.

“Manu’s just got to get fit and healthy. And each day that can change, you can wake up and something hurts that didn’t hurt the previous day. The more he works hard and diligently, the more chance he has of playing.

“It’s nice to see him back training and back into it. He was a player that demolished New Zealand and we need those kinds of players.

“If he can get himself fit, he can definitely make a strong return. If his motivation and desire’s right, he can be an outstanding player for us and add to the depth of the squad.”