Rugby World Cup 2019: Henry Slade & Manu Tuilagi bond key to England success

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By Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer in Sapporo, Japan
Centre Henry Slade maintains his bond using midfield partner Manu Tuilagi can fire England.
When chosen against Tonga in the Sapporo Dome on Sunday slade is fit to begin due to announce his group.
“Manu is so good to play – how we could use him to get is within the gain-line or maybe to run decoy lines is a large weapon,” Slade said.
“It gives me a lot of time to play from the back of that and elsewhere.”
He added:”We now have very different strengths and different weaknesses, and that I think we complement one another and cover each other’s flaws”
Jones utilized Slade and Tuilagi together throughout the Six Nations outside Owen Farrell at fly-half, using before in his regime favored to use George Ford in 10 and Farrell in inside-centre.
And Slade claims how much the two enjoy the company of each other off the pitch has fostered his understanding together with the 28-year-old Tuilagi.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live:”We’ve always got on really well ever since we’ve known each other.
“We were in camps to get a few years but not really regularly – that he was always athletic when I was hurt or I had been match and he was hurt.
“But we’ve always made. I went on holiday to Dubai after the Six Nations – Manu was out there along with his wife and kid, so we have a few days with him, also I was out there with Ellis Genge and Jack Nowell.
“I really feel as if I get on really well with him, and that bond off the pitch does play a major part on it.
“It can take time learning how to play with one another, but now he and I’ve managed to pick it up pretty quick.
“Manu’s in quite good shape. He has through the whole of this pre-season, which has been tough, a real grind, but very great.
“He looks like he’s hungry to perform well. I am excited to see what he can.”
England travelled north of Miyazaki from the far north on Wednesday, conditions at the north 12 degrees cooler than they’d been around the island of Kyushu, the fresh weather birth far reminiscent of fall straight home.
Short-term harm doubts winger Joe Cokanasiga and Mark Wilson have returned to fuller training while Jack Nowell and also Mako Vunipola continue to be on track to get a return from harm later in the group phase.
Coach Eddie Jones has kept the gamers from the dark about his selection aims before England’s second match against the USA suggesting he will look at his choices before the stiffer tests of France and Argentina.
Slade explained:”You can never really tell with Eddie. We love to try unique combinations in training, and we have so many players, particularly.
“What is great about our midfield options is that everybody’s got different strengths, therefore whatever the coaches want to decide on, they’ve got an option to pick.
“All we could continue to spurring each other on as players, forcing each other to keep advancing.”
Slade was a regular alongside Tuilagi during England’s Six Nations campaign this season, scoring his global try at the 32-20 win over Ireland at Dublin.
He touched a week later again against France, that burgeoning centre partnership among the highlights to England at a campaign that decelerated by Wales in Cardiff and that draw against Scotland.
A knee injury kept the 26-year-old from four of England’s warm-up matches to this World Cup, but that he is about to reignite that volatile mix, following coaching since arriving in Japan.
He said:”The knee’s great – I’ve had a couple of weeks now to rehabilitation and make it better.
“I am feeling more and more confident every day, and I get the opportunity to test it out in the weekend.
“Originally I was stressed. You do not understand before you get your scanning results back what it may be . It could have been a whole lot worse, so it was a large relief.”
Slade was a last-minute bolter for Stuart Lancaster’s squad, impressing against France in the warm-up but left from match-day activity until the final group game against Uruguay, when England had already gone out.
“Last World Cup I was just on the moon to be chosen,” he said.
“I had no expectations going into that camp, but this time I’ve had rather a great deal of quality game-time, and also feel a true part of the squad.
“I’ve had a large drive in the last World Cup to needing to play with a much bigger role in this one.
“I feel as though the final Six Nations proved to be a real step in the ideal direction for me. I was disappointed before that, not having played too as I could need for England.
“Hopefully when I get the opportunity I can keep progressing.”
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