Monday 29 February 2016 10:07, UK
Manu Tuilagi will join up with the England squad on Monday before returning to play for Leicester Tigers next weekend, according Leicester's director of rugby Richard Cockerill.
Tuilagi continued his return from injury with a fine performance in Leicester's seven-try 47-20 win demolition of Aviva Premiership basement club London Irish.
The 24-year-old will return to Leicester for crucial home game against second-placed Exeter next Sunday after two days with England but Cockerill refused to voice his opinion on whether he was ready to play for England against Wales at Twickenham on March 12.
"We will have to see," he said. "They have all the power so there is no point in having an argument.
"If Eddie (Jones) wants to play him he will play him. That's the agreement, he is in the EPS.
"I'm not stupid enough to have a fight I can't win, but England are playing well so there's no need to pick him."
Cockerill did however say that thinks the best position for Tuilagi with England is inside centre, the position he played in the victory over London Irish.
He said: "Twelve or 13 is irrelevant. For us de Villiers will do certain parts of that job at 12 and 13.
"I think they will pick Manu at 12 as and when. They have got really good options at 13 with Jonathan Joseph and Elliot Daly.
"A really good fit would be Manu at 12 making holes. People will defend Manu and there will space for Joseph or Daly on the outside."
Leicester's bonus-point win stopped the rot after three successive defeats but Leicester's next three games are against teams above them - Exeter, Wasps and leaders Saracens, a fact that wasn't lost on Cockerill.
He said "It was a good win and we are happy to get back on track.
"But we won't get too excited. It was against a side that is struggling but we will take the five points.
"We have got three big weeks ahead, an important three weeks in the shake-up."
London Irish, who scored three tries through David Paice, Joe Trayfoot and Andrew Fenby, have still to earn a point away from home and are rooted to the bottom on 13 points, five behind Worcester.
Head coach Tom Coventry believes they can escape the drop. "I hope so, that's my challenge," he said.
"We have not spoken about it and it's not something I came into the country thinking about. But now we are amongst it we have to manage our way through it.
"It's pretty tough. We need to get points away and we have not done that all season.
"I thought Leicester were good today, pretty belligerent, the pressure did not come off us at any stage."
