Manu Tuilagi has almost been deported, jumped off a ferry – and pranked the Prime Minister! Now 32, he’s leaving Sale for France and admits he has no plans for after retirement

Ahead of Manu Tuilagi’s final home game in England before a summer move across the Channel, here’s a public safety announcement. His three-year-old son, Leo, has just started rugby toddlers. Sound the alarm.

For now this is a serious matter for parents of other pint-sized players in the Cheshire region, but very soon it will be a potential problem for those with young boys in and around Bayonne, in the far south-west of France.

Manu and his family will soon head there to establish a new outpost for the formidable Tuilagi clan on the Atlantic coast, but first he wants to say goodbye to Sale and the English game in peace.

Friday’s sold-out Premiership match against Leicester in Salford will be a poignant occasion for the outgoing England centre. “It’s quite emotional knowing that this will be the last home game in Sale,” he said. ‘I loved it here. Four years have gone by so quickly, it feels like I arrived here yesterday.”

The fact that Sale – who are still in the hunt for a play-off place – are taking on the club where Tuilagi made his name and endured so many injury-ridden years is an added dimension. “That’s actually what I thought too,” he added. ‘What are the chances that my last game here is against Leicester? It makes it even more special.’

Tuilagi was fined £3,000 by England for jumping from a ferry at Auckland Harbor in 2011

The overriding impression from a long conversation with Tuilagi is that he is grateful for the way his career has turned out and for the fact that it is still going strong after so many aggravating setbacks that would have broken the spirit of a less positive career. character. He joked that with three young children he doesn’t have time for meaningful reflection. He also admitted that he has always had a tendency to go with the flow, rather than overthinking every step.

“The great thing about life is you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. ‘That’s why I don’t plan anything. My wife hates that. At least she is there to plan everything for us. I would have no idea! I just enjoyed it.’

There was certainly no grand plan when he arrived from Samoa and quickly settled into a very different existence in Leicester, where his older brothers had planted the family flag. Asked about his first impressions, Manu said: ‘It was crazy. When we got here it was in winter, so it was freezing, but I loved it. I still remember the smell of winter. I remember it was snowing, I ran outside without shoes and my mom almost gave me shelter! But it was a great experience.

‘I thought we were just coming here on holiday. My father and mother went back, but me and my brother Vavae stayed here, and stayed for a long time! I didn’t actually know until I was almost deported. It’s been a good life. When I look back on it now, I just think, “Wow.” It’s been quite a journey.’

The very real threat that he could have been deported – ahead of a local campaign to spare him from being sanctioned for not having the correct visa – was just the first tragedy of his colorful career. There have been many more, from bans on punching, to jumping off a ferry at Auckland Harbour, to a ‘bunny ears’ gesture behind the head of then Prime Minister David Cameron, outside the front door of 10 Downing Street.

So, does Tuilagi laugh now or cringe at the memories of those episodes? “Actually, a little bit of both,” he said. ‘I then think: ‘Oh, you idiot, Manu, why did you do that?’ But you did it, so that’s life. It’s in the past, so there’s no point in really beating yourself up about it.”

Specific highlights from all his matches over the years do not immediately catch the eye. He had not chosen a specific try or tackle, and his own standout event was not what others would have chosen for him. It wasn’t his demolition of New Zealand in 2012, or again in the 2019 World Cup, but his return to Twickenham after yet another lengthy injury ordeal.

Tuilagi made a ‘rabbit ears’ gesture behind the head of the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, during a photocall at Number 10

“I think my favorite moment was 2018, when I came back for England,” he said. ‘I had been gone for a long time. I think I’ve been busy for the last 10 or 15 minutes. For me that was pretty big. I remember getting ready to move on. It was amazing.’

There will be no opportunity to increase his total of 60 caps due to the impending move abroad. Tuilagi is at peace with that. He enjoyed being a mainstay of the national team for 13 years whenever he was fit, but now a new challenge awaits. The prospect excites him, but it became clear that the relaxed approach to planning also extends to not visiting the city he will soon call home.

“Actually, I haven’t been there yet,” he said, referring to Bayonne. “It’s going to be a nice place and my brother Henry is about three hours away (in Perpignan). ‘That will be nice, to be able to see them a little more. I think it will be a good experience not only for me but also for my family. It will be something different, something new, and that is exciting.’

Unlike when he arrived in England, this time the visa application is completely in order. “We’re going through that process because of Brexit,” he joked.

Tuilagi is no longer part of the England squad but will be watching their progress with interest during the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand. He is optimistic that Steve Borthwick’s side are heading in the right direction.

“The way we ended the Six Nations, it felt like everything came together,” he said. He also offered a message of support for the man who will take over his mantle as the midfield plug in the Red Rose line-up: Ollie Lawrence.

“He’s a complete player, in terms of the attributes he has,” Tuilagi said. ‘He’s got the physicality, good skills, he can play a bit too and he’s a good boy, which is important. I think he will be a great player for England for a long time.”

The 32-year-old is no longer part of the England squad after agreeing a move to France

There was a funny exchange when it was put to Manu that he could possibly represent Samoa at the next World Cup, in 2027.

“I’d be too old, mate,” he said. But he said that in 2019 and then played again in 2023. “I did, to be honest,” he added. ‘I remember that.’ Would he definitively rule out playing for Samoa next time? “I’d just be too old,” he insisted. When it was pointed out that he is now only 32, he joked: ‘That would make me 45 – according to my real passport!’

Tuilagi attributed his longevity to a deep love of the game and a desire to provide for his family. But he also has to keep playing for a while because he has no plan — shock, horror — about what to do when he eventually retires.

When asked if he had thought about it, he replied: ‘No, I haven’t. I just think about rugby. I’ll have to keep playing. I have no choice!’