GIVEN ENGLAND WERE missing some of their key men during this year’s Six Nations championship, Stuart Lancaster will have some tough decisions to make when he finally gets around to picking his team to face Fiji in the World Cup opener this September.
One player who has always made the England team when fit is Manu Tuilagi but after missing almost the entire season so far, he isn’t an automatic first choice anymore. And his chances of regaining his England place took another hit yesterday when Leicester coach Richard Cockerill said it was likely that the giant centre will miss the remainder of the season.
“He’s improving all the time but it’s a long process,” Cockerill told the BBC.
“The likelihood now is he may not play this season. The likelihood is he will be fit for June and he’ll join England for their World Cup camp. Hopefully he’ll be involved in the World Cup warm-ups and have a huge say in how England do.”
The return of Tuilagi will present an interesting dilemma for Stuart Lancaster and his staff. At the moment the centres in the England reckoning, judging from recent squads, are Tuilagi, Jonathan Joseph, Luther Burrell, Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees and Kyle Eastmond.
A potential combination of Tuilagi at 12 and Joseph at 13 would certainly be very formidable and the Leicester man will fancy his chances at usurping Burrell, who was probably the quietest of England’s backs during the Six Nations.
Tuilagi hasn’t played since injuring his groin in the Champions Cup opener against Ulster back in October.
Would you have Tuilagi in the England team?
Grab All Association acting true to form.
@Richard Starling: sadly predictable! Typical GAA,could the Aviva not host it??
@Richard Starling: Ya association the trains children up and down the country, association that saves money and makes money for the Irish exchequer,you know nothing what the GAA do with that comment.
@Richard Starling: very original.
Agree with you Daniel but don’t bother with someone who says grab all association.
@Philip Kennedy: I know I shouldn’t, involved with the GAA 30 years,I’ll defend it.
@Daniel Roche: many of my relatives have been involved too. It’s hard to listen to people who say grab all etc.
@Philip Kennedy: Spot on.
@Daniel Roche: they do a tremendous job no doubt. But they also get millions in tax payers money and sports grants, yet exclude other sports from their facilities – even on a rental basis. The focus of spending tax players money should be on promoting sport as whole in this country – not funding ideologue protectionism.
@michael murray: European Cup final is on in the Aviva the same day, not logicisticall feasible
@Mark Sheehan: wasn’t aware of that! Thanks
Well Done Grab All Association!
@Shirley Moran Breslin: Any facts with that comment.
@Daniel Roche: Cork County Board springs to me mind.
@Shirley Moran Breslin: here’s another one. Very original.
@Leonard Barry: So no facts.
@Shirley Moran Breslin: you can’t be serious. Shirley. Geddit?
@Philip Kennedy:
LOL – I am serious…
@Shirley Moran Breslin: at least you have a sense of humour!
@Shirley Moran Breslin:
Eddie Hearn looking for handouts from the Irish tax payer…. Them promoters are a greedy bunch!!!
@Paul Linehan: no he looking for a fair deal for our no 1 sports person she has brought so much to this country and this is an outrage
what an absolute joke of an organisation. Between….this year alone so far…..the O’Byrne cup fiasco’s (plural), the club championship (we won’t take action unless Glen complain), and now this international embarrassement. Well done to all at the GAA. Absolute Dinasaurs.
@Ziggy Stardust: dinosaur. Or do you mean absolute beginner ziggy, if that’s your real name. Jaysus.
@Ziggy Stardust: So you have no idea about the GAA and what it does,you look at click bait articles and you make your open,have you heard the side of the GAA,no but you will go with a boxing fella with no problems with the kinahans,joke of organisation that had the brains to build a top level stadium late 80′s/early 90′s,joke of organisation that used Irish owned companies to build the stadium bar the roof cause we didn’t have some,joke of organisation that coaches children up and down the country,joke of organisation that makes millions for the Irish Exchequer,joke of organisation that doesn’t make a profit and the money is reinvested into clubs, counties, everything,a joke of organisation that owns every major stadium and nearly every club field up and down our country.Some joke.
@Philip Kennedy: yeah Ziggy is my real name, and just to correct you, it’s absolute beginners (again plural).
@Ziggy Stardust: awful movie. Even worse soundtrack.
@Daniel Roche: the steam coming from Daniels nostrils….
It’s ok Daniel, you can defend the amateur organisation that you love but they are a laughing stock to true sports fans. Amateur by name, amateur by nature.
M
You say “make millions for the irish exchequer”? can you share your data as I just read an article from the IT about grants, grants and more grants from the government. Croke Park is full to capacity (excluding Garth Brooks concerts) four times a year. joke, tax payer, joke, tax payer, joke, tax payer……
@Ziggy Stardust: is there really life on Mars?
@Philip Kennedy: love it Phil. There absolutely is, but only of you’re an absolute beginner.
@Ziggy Stardust: stick to playing guitar ziggy.
@Philip Kennedy: Stop thinking you’re funny Philip. Seriously. It’s all in your head.
@Philip Kennedy: left hand (singular)
This country has notions way above its station. Shocking stuff.
GAA not covering themselves in glory over the last week
@IAmTheTruth: So your just taking the word of a fella who had no problems dealing with the kinahans.
As opposed to being the fault of the GAA is it not more a reflection of the cost of doing business in Ireland at this moment in time? Is it also the reason why Beyonce isn’t stopping here during her upcoming world tour?
@Dec: @Dec: It utterly amazes me why successive governments haven’t clamped down on all the bogus insurance claims and ridiculously high payouts. I know they have made some progress on this but way, way too little. The amount of businesses I know that have failed, or couldn’t even start, due to crazy insurance premiums, is a scandal. Can the politicians not see the blindingly obvious?
Ireland is going down the Swanee at a rapid rate of knots.
So we are to believe Mr Hearne playing the beal bocht…..wouldn.t make enough money from 80k tickets plus the pay per view receipts, sponsors……no it was the GAA charging too much…..bull
Barry Hearn looking for a handout ….. It’s called business Barry .
@Aunties: it’s Eddie
Stadiums are terrible for boxing. The photos look good but unless you’re seated at ringside you’re better off watching on telly
@Conor Pocock: Exactly give me indoors please
Surely, surely they could do a deal. Its money for jam, if not would the Avia or Pairc ui Chaoimh not work ? Tbh I wouldn’t waste my money watching it in Croke Park better off watching ships on a horizon
@David Quinlan: Don’t be one bit surprised if the Cork GAA aren’t sniffing around this already.
@Leonard Barry: sniffing around?! You wouldn’t want them to host it I assume is it?
Ah for the love of christ they couldn’t do a turn for one of our own. The mask has truly fallen off the GAA with this one
@Tom Collins: or Hearn wasn’t going to make enough out of it?!
I wouldn’t believe a word out of that spoofer Hearn’s mouth.
No disrespect intended but I don’t think 80,000 people would come to watch that fight. I’m not sure a boxing ring in the center of croagh park would provide the viewing spectacle people would want or pay for irrespective of who was fighting. And a half empty park would create a poor atmosphere
@Gerard Reynolds: You must be trolling. It would sell out in minutes.
The GAA must be charging a humongous fee if hearn is saying the fighters will earn more from a 9000 seat venue than 80000 in croker. I’d say a bit of bargain ploy by Eddie. Putting pressure on them and Govt.
Poor Eddie, wasn’t going to make the millions he thought he was from this fight.
Hmmm, very biased article taken only from Eddie Hearn’s perspective. Is it actually three times as must to host an event in Croke Park than Wembley… maybe the Journal could do their jobs and fact check that. And they were ‘surprised’ at the additional costs… did they not ask what was covered in the rental price?!
Sure isn’t prize fighting a fordn sport anyway? But anyway, could you see anything in Croke Park? Would have thought it woukd be hard enough to make out a tiny boxing ring from the top of tge Cusack stand…
@Colm de Cleir: you’d have to turn to watch it on the big screens in there I’d say yeah….haha!
@Colm de Cleir: Didn’t Cassius Clay (as he was at the time) fight in Croke Park? Early 1970s?
This would have been a huge tourist boost.
@Ian James Burgess: It’s still for Ireland.
How much does it cost ?
Everything except that in the article.
How much is wembley ?
Yes, Crime park is always going to be more expensive than the English place, she doesn’t want to fight in London, she is not British Eddie, she’s Irish.
Organise Coke Park and be done with it, accept a deal on a ticket price and 80,000 fans , or ticket sales, do a TV/Dazn deal, end of story.
Again the Short cited vision by the Old brass at The GAA HQ, can’t see the big picture
Shameful
The week for the GAA went from Bad to worse
Embarrassing
@colm buckley: What is the big picture Colm? What about the legal conditions they allowed to rent the stadium for? They can only rent it to a limited number of sports or events. Unlike venues, there are limits to the amount and types of events it can host. It’s a sports stadium with planning permission limits on what it can host rather than a venue.
Maybe the promoters and the GAA are holding out. Maybe the GAAs event and sport type slots are filled. Maybe the GAA want to keep a slot for something that runs over three nights or maybe the promoter wants to maximise profits.
No disrespect intended but I don’t think 80,000 people would come to watch that fight. I’m not sure a boxing ring in the center of croke park would provide the viewing spectacle people would want or pay for irrespective of who was fighting. And a half empty park would create a poor atmosphere
I think this is the pot calling the kettle black, there’s pure greed on both sides. I think the suggestion that the GAA should be stepping in is laughable, should they step in to sort out all private business deals. Also, this still is very much a bad news story for the GAA, on a week that they needed a win in a lot of people’s minds.
@Daniel Roche: I sense a dyed in the wool GAA can do no wrong supporter here.
Shame on you. Katie deserves respect for what she has done for Irish sports. You didn’t have any problems with garth Brooks.
@Simon Dwyer: I’d always like to hear both sides of a story, before I could say shame on anybody.
Can I join the ticketmaster Q now?
My heart bleeds for the poor honest boxing promoter.
Agin
No chance of getting a ticket now