Dubai: Manu Tuilagi’s omission from Stuart Lancaster’s Rugby World Cup squad won’t affect England’s chances, according to Red Rose full-back Mike Brown.
The 24-year-old Leicester Tigers centre wasn’t considered for Lancaster’s side, which was due to be announced on Wednesday, after he was convicted of assaulting two female police officers and a taxi driver following a night out in Leicester last month.
But Brown, who was in Dubai on Tuesday night to star in a function at Girders in the JA Ocean View Hotel at JBR, said that while Tuilagi’s absence was “a big loss” it wouldn’t limit the hopes of the host nation.
“Tuilagi is an incredible athlete on the field and he’s actually a great bloke off it as well, he’s a good fun time guy. It’s just unfortunate we’ve lost him,” said the 29-year-old Harlequins star.
“He will be a big loss, but there are other guys that play centre that have done an incredible job in his absence, because he hasn’t been around the squad for almost a year with his groin injury.
“We’ve got a handful of guys that can do a brilliant job, in fact we’ve got an embarrassment of riches at centre, so he will be a big loss but there will be other guys that can step up as well, you only have to look at what Jonathon Joseph has done for England this season.” Bath centre Joseph, 23, was announced as the Rugby Players’ Association’s Players’ Player of the Year and England Player of the Year for his performances this season, particularly during the Six Nations, where he topped the try scoring charts with four.
Brown has been sidelined with concussion for the past three months after sustaining a serious head injury during England’s Six Nations clash with Italy in February. But he’s now fit for World Cup selection and spoke of his eagerness to rejoin the squad.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “I’m just trying to get through the different levels of fitness and weights to make sure I’m all good, but everything is going in the right way at the moment.
“I can’t wait to get going. We have a great chance on home soil, we’ve had amazing support over the last few years and I’m pretty sure they [the fans] will step it up another notch for us at Twickenham, especially for the World Cup.
“We’ve definitely got a realistic chance. We are one of the form teams in the world at the moment. Everything is going in the right direction. Every time we step onto the field we are developing, learning and getting better.”
