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 last home game in England before a summer move across the Channel, here is a public safety notice. His three-year-old son, Leo, has just started going to rugby tots. Sound the alarm.

For now, this is a grave matter for parents of other minis-age players in the Cheshire area 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 out-post for the formidable Tuilagi clan by the Atlantic coast, but first he wants to sign off from Sale and the English game with a flourish.

Friday's sold-out Premiership clash with Leicester in Salford will be a poignant occasion for the departing England centre. ‘It’s quite emotional to know that this will be the last home game at Sale,’ he said. ‘I’ve loved it here. Four years has gone so quickly, it feels like I just came here yesterday.’

The fact that Sale – who are still in the hunt to snatch a play-off place – are taking on the club where Tuilagi made his name and gave so many years of injury-scarred service is an added dimension. ‘I was actually thinking that,’ he added. ‘What are the odds of my last game here being against Leicester? It makes it even more special.’

The over-riding impression from a long chat with Tuilagi is that he is grateful for the way his career has turned out and for the fact that it is still going, after so many aggravating setbacks, which would have broken the spirit of a less positive character. He joked that, with three young children, he has no time for any significant reflection. He also admitted that he has always been inclined to go with the flow, rather than over-thinking, every step of the way.

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

There was certainly no grand plan when he arrived from Samoa and rapidly acclimatised to a very different existence in Leicester, where his older brothers had planted the family flag. Asked to recall his first impressions, Manu said: ‘It was crazy. When we got here, it was in the winter so it was freezing, but I loved it. I still remember the smell of winter. I remember it snowed, I ran out in no shoes and my mum nearly gave me a hiding! But it was an amazing experience.

‘I thought we’d just come here for a holiday. Mum and dad went back, but me and my brother Vavae stayed here, and over-stayed, for a long time! I actually didn’t know, until I nearly got deported. It’s been a good life. When I look back now I just think, “Wow”. It’s been some journey.’

The very real threat that he could have been deported – before a local campaign to spare him from that sanction for not having an appropriate visa – was just the first drama during his colourful career. There have been many others, from bans for punching to jumping off a ferry in Auckland harbour, to a ‘bunny ears’ gesture behind the head of the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, outside the front door of 10 Downing Street.

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

Specific highlights from all his matches over the years don’t immediately spring to mind. He didn’t nominate a particular try or tackle, and his own stand-out event was not what others would have chosen for him. It wasn’t his demolition of New Zealand in 2012, or again at the 2019 World Cup, it was making a return at Twickenham after yet another drawn-out injury ordeal.

‘My favourite moment, I think, was 2018 when I came back for England,’ he said. ‘I’d been out for a long time. I think I got on for the last 10 or 15 minutes. For me, that was quite big. I remember getting ready to go on. It was amazing.’

There will be no opportunity to add to his tally of 60 international caps, due to the impending move abroad. Tuilagi is at peace with that. He enjoyed being a main-stay of the national team, whenever he was fit, for the best part of 13 years, but now a fresh challenge awaits. The prospect excites him, but it became apparent that the laid-back approach to planning extends to not visiting the city he will soon call home.

‘I’ve actually not been there yet,’ he said, in reference to Bayonne. ‘It will 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 bit more. I think it will be a good experience, not just for me but for my family. It will be something different, something new, which is exciting.’

Unlike when he arrived in England, this time the visa application is all in hand. ‘We are going through that process, because of Brexit,’ he joked.

Tuilagi is no longer be part of the England set-up, but he will follow their progress with interest, on the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand – 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 an endorsement of the man who will take over his mantle as the midfield power outlet in the Red Rose line-up – Ollie Lawrence.

‘He’s a complete player, in terms of the attributes he has,’ said Tuilagi. ‘He’s got the physicality, good skills, he can play a bit as well, and he’s a good lad, which is important. I think he’ll be huge for England for a long time.’

There was an amusing exchange when it was put to Manu that he could potentially represent Samoa at the next World Cup, in 2027. 

‘I’d be too old, mate,’ he said. But he said that in 2019, then played again in 2023. ‘I did, to be fair,’ he added. ‘I remember that.’ So, would he definitely rule out playing for Samoa next time? ‘I would be just too old,’ he insisted. When it was pointed out that he is only 32 now, he quipped: ‘I’d be 45 by then – on my real passport!’

Tuilagi put his longevity down to a profound love of the game and a desire to provide for his family. But also, he has to keep playing for a while due to having no plan – shock, horror – for what to do when he eventually retires. 

Asked if he has given it some thought, he said: ‘No, I haven’t. I’m just thinking of rugby. I’m going to have to keep playing. I’ve got no choice!’