How Manu Tuilagi Can Fulfil His Potential as an International Rugby Superstar

Manu Tuilagi, the Leicester Tigers and England centre is still just 24, but now is the time for Tuilagi, who has just signed a lucrative deal with the East Midlands club, to make his impression on the world game and become a rugby superstar. To fulfil his immense potential, Tuilagi needs to mature as a person, add two extra dimensions to his game and stay injury-free.

Tuilagi should have been a star of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. How England could have done with his midfield presence. Instead, Tuilagi was banned by the RFU for assaulting two female police officers and a taxi driver.

Unfortunately for Tuilagi, this was not the first time he has erred. After England’s quarter-final exit at the 2011 Rugby World Cup the centre was held by police in New Zealand for jumping into Auckland harbour from aboard a ferry. He was also fined for wearing an unofficial, sponsored mouthguard.

Sang Tan/Associated Press

And more light-heartedly, when the victorious 2013 British and Irish Lions met with David Cameron, Tuilagi was caught making a “bunny ears” sign from behind the Prime Minister’s back.

On-field discipline has also been a problem. He received a five-week ban for punching Chris Ashton in 2011.

But if Tuilagi can keep his focus on rugby, he can still become the world’s best centre. Hopefully, missing his home World Cup will have a long-term positive effect by making Tuilagi realise he has too much potential to waste.

On the field, Tuilagi has two main things to work on. A powerful runner with phenomenal leg drive, Tuilagi has immense physical gifts. He could be one of the world’s best centres as a crash-ball merchant to get his team over the gain line, but he could be the very best if he adds subtlety to his brawn. The two key skill areas where he needs to improve are offloading and kicking.

Here, Tuilagi should learn from the two New Zealand centres who finished the 2015 World Cup final: Ma’a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams.

Nonu is the perfect example of how a battering-ram centre can develop into a ball-player. Like Tuilagi, Nonu used to rely on raw power. He was a very good player, but over the past four years or so, Nonu became exceptional because he added a passing game and a very intelligent boot to his arsenal. If Tuilagi can do the same, England are likely to have one of the world’s best centres.

As for Williams, no one is ever going to match his back-door offloads, but if Tuilagi can add that threat to what defences have to think about, he will become a superb player. If Tuilagi’s opposite number is worried about his physicality, penetrative kicking game and late distribution, he barely has a hope of containing the England man.

It’s a tough ask for Tuilagi but very possible.

Finally, Tuilagi needs a bit of luck with injuries. Every time it has seemed as though he is at full speed, he gets injured again. For him to mature and develop his skills, he will need plenty of game time.

Eleven tries in 25 Tests for England is a very strong return for a young centre who has struggled for fitness. Imagine what he could do with an extended run of rugby.

Leicester coach Richard Cockerill told the Tigers website that Tuilagi "is in the prime of his rugby life." He needs to learn his lessons, hone certain skills and stay injury free. If those three things happen, Manu Tuilagi is likely to be the world’s best centre by the time Japan 2019 comes around.