Manu Tuilagi to Saracens!

[ourla]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but this is from The Rugby Paper again...
http://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/featured ... -vunipola/

Call me cynical, and while Billy might well be a mate of Manu, this article has all the signs of a non-too-subtle approach from the Sarries management.
- we are great - we win things
- the club are great at looking after people
- good bunch of lads, good structures, lots of players want to join us etc.,etc,

Manu is being tapped up...just hope that the folks at Tigers are reacting.

You're over reading it IMO.

[MurphysLaw]

[quote="ourla"][quote="MurphysLaw"]Sorry if this has already been posted, but this is from The Rugby Paper again...
http://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/featured ... -vunipola/

Call me cynical, and while Billy might well be a mate of Manu, this article has all the signs of a non-too-subtle approach from the Sarries management.
- we are great - we win things
- the club are great at looking after people
- good bunch of lads, good structures, lots of players want to join us etc.,etc,

Manu is being tapped up...just hope that the folks at Tigers are reacting.[/quote]
You're over reading it IMO.[/quote]

Yeah, possibly so! It must be just coincidental that it comes about a week after TRP claimed that Sarries were interested in him.

[jgriffin]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but this is from The Rugby Paper again...
http://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/featured ... -vunipola/

Call me cynical, and while Billy might well be a mate of Manu, this article has all the signs of a non-too-subtle approach from the Sarries management.
- we are great - we win things
- the club are great at looking after people
- good bunch of lads, good structures, lots of players want to join us etc.,etc,

Manu is being tapped up...just hope that the folks at Tigers are reacting.

You're over reading it IMO.

Yeah, possibly so! It must be just coincidental that it comes about a week after TRP claimed that Sarries were interested in him.

Wonder where the money would be coming from? Or are Saffacens banking on the collapse of the cap (nudge, nudge....)

[Bill W (2)]

Wonder where the money would be coming from? Or are Saffacens banking on the collapse of the cap (nudge, nudge....)

We all know where the money would be coming from. Question is how will they present it as being within the cap? Silly me! They disregard the cap anyway!

[Roly]

I think what Roly is saying is that even players of World Class talents need an excellent team and system around them to perform. The team always trumps the individual.

Look at Saracens in the play offs. Wigglesworth, Farrell, Barritt, Taylor, Wyles, Ashton, Strettle.....yet they were outstanding and took Bath to the cleaners. The reason being that the team and system trumped Baths individuals.

When was Manu's finest hour for England ? Vs NZ in 2012. Outside Farrell and Burns. On this day Manu was world class.

When was his worst for England ? away in NZ in 2014. Outside Burns and Eastmond. On this day Manu was championship standard.

Yes, I think that sums it up nicely.

[4071]

When was his worst for England ? away in NZ in 2014. Outside Burns and Eastmond. On this day Manu was championship standard.

Yet 2 weeks earlier, away in NZ outside Burns and Eastmond, he was outstanding.

So what's your point?

[Alandrin75]

Rumour is growing stronger that Toulouse will be his destination.

[RagingBull]

Rumour is growing stronger that Toulouse will be his destination.

Doubt anything has been done yet Or will be done before Christmas considering he still has a year that is a year he can raise his price anyway that's if he does want to go to France.

Have heard stronger rumours that Ben Youngs is looking at leaving end of next season.

[Noddy555]

I take issue with the fact that Manu is a world class player, He might have been 3 years ago, but his game never developed to maintain that status. All world class rugby players are world class because they develop a good rugby brain. They are quick to assess situations and make instant decisions, the majority of which have to be correct. To me Manu always had a one track mind, always break the gain line, as we all know even the very best players are lucky to do this 30% of the time.

[Iain]

I take issue with the fact that Manu is a world class player, He might have been 3 years ago, but his game never developed to maintain that status. All world class rugby players are world class because they develop a good rugby brain. They are quick to assess situations and make instant decisions, the majority of which have to be correct. To me Manu always had a one track mind, always break the gain line, as we all know even the very best players are lucky to do this 30% of the time.

I think the "is Manu world class" debate has been done to death and become tedious with the subjectivity of what constitutes world class. And indeed, whether there's any point in labelling a player as such.

But to say he's not because he's regressed over the last three years is an odd one surely...? Based on what exactly? You've barely seen him play for two years.

[voice of the crumbie]

I take issue with the fact that Manu is a world class player, He might have been 3 years ago, but his game never developed to maintain that status. All world class rugby players are world class because they develop a good rugby brain. They are quick to assess situations and make instant decisions, the majority of which have to be correct. To me Manu always had a one track mind, always break the gain line, as we all know even the very best players are lucky to do this 30% of the time.

With the greatest of respect Noddy I am inclined to trust the opinions of those who have played at the highest level. For example those expressed here:

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Rugby ... story.html

To quote from the article "Jonny said: "Manu is a world-class player.

"He would be a great addition to any team in the world."

[Rykard]

we haven't seen him at his best for a couple of seasons now due to various injuries. When fit you would have to say he does have an ability to break the line like few others..

[The Boy Dave]

Nothing wrong with the term world class but more the differing interpretations of the saying, not dissimilar to referees but that is another topic.
World class to me is a player who can do whatever he does on the world stage against any opposition.
It does not mean a complete player for me but simply one of the best at what he does for example Wilko's boot or Robinson's step.
Manu has immense running power, and I have seen him offload plenty so I don't know where the idea that he doesn't or can't pass comes from, it's a myth IMO.
It's possible he could move to 12 in the next couple of years and there he will be a more complete player and as an attacker and a defender it will suit his natural game and instincts to rush more IMO, but it's a move needed to be done when the time is right if at all.

[4071]

I take issue with the fact that Manu is a world class player, He might have been 3 years ago, but his game never developed to maintain that status. All world class rugby players are world class because they develop a good rugby brain. They are quick to assess situations and make instant decisions, the majority of which have to be correct. To me Manu always had a one track mind, always break the gain line, as we all know even the very best players are lucky to do this 30% of the time.

Are you saying that he's a worse player than he was three years ago?

[kornboy130]

Nothing wrong with the term world class but more the differing interpretations of the saying, not dissimilar to referees but that is another topic.
World class to me is a player who can do whatever he does on the world stage against any opposition.
It does not mean a complete player for me but simply one of the best at what he does for example Wilko's boot or Robinson's step.
Manu has immense running power, and I have seen him offload plenty so I don't know where the idea that he doesn't or can't pass comes from, it's a myth IMO.
It's possible he could move to 12 in the next couple of years and there he will be a more complete player and as an attacker and a defender it will suit his natural game and instincts to rush more IMO, but it's a move needed to be done when the time is right if at all.

Quite.

Because plenty of people at WR seem to want to scream "wide" everytime the ball shifts past 10 and are quick to forget how important building phases is. If you have a player with such awesome running power like Manu who will attract defenders and set the defence on the back foot - then frankly the times you want him to pass become a lot more limited.