Rugby Union 
/ Ralph Ellis / 02 August 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Manu Tuilagi has impressed during practice sessions with England
"England are as short as [1.18] in the early market to start their serious World Cup preparations with a win against Wales. It looks like buying money, because while the Welsh have injury problems, with captain Matthew Rees ruled out, Johnson has got problems deciding who to leave out."
Martin Johnson has a strong hand to play when Wales come to Twickenham on Saturday and Manu Tuilagi could be the next man to make an impact in the white shirt
There's obviously something about Royal Weddings and having to wait to go on honeymoon. William and Kate started the trend earlier in the summer, leaving it for a few days before they slipped away for some time together. Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall will have to be even more patient.
Tindall did his best to butter up to his boss Martin Johnson by inviting the England manager to Edinburgh for the ceremony. It probably helped him get away with staying up all night at the party without getting into trouble.
But the Gloucester centre was still back in training yesterday afternoon, even if Johnson did let him off the stringent fitness tests that the rest of the squad were subjected to ahead of this weekend's Twickenham friendly against Wales. And unless he wants to smuggle Zara into his hotel room in New Zealand for the World Cup, he could have to wait even longer to enjoy his new status as the Queen's grandson-in-law!
That might be a blow for the new Mr and Mrs Tindall (and might explain why Zara is staying as Ms Phillips), but it is good news for England's rugby efforts to emulate the cricketers who are almost certainly about to become number one in the world. It says that Johnson is bringing his squad together with exactly the right focused effort.
According to Chris Ashton in today's Daily Mail, the half dozen players who had joined the celebrations in Edinburgh were made to work double time. Nobody was actually physically sick getting rid of their hangovers, but Ashton says: "That's because no-one ate breakfast!"
It's taken Johnno a few years to find his way as an international manager, but the signs are encouraging. England are as short as [1.18] in the early market to start their serious World Cup preparations with a win against Wales. It looks like buying money, because while the Welsh have injury problems, with captain Matthew Rees ruled out, Johnson has got problems deciding who to leave out.
Ashton was the big discovery of last season, but the next to be launched on the world stage will be Leicester's Manu Tuilagi who has made a big impact in the first half of England's summer training camp. "I've not been surprised by him but I've been impressed," says Johnson of the young star who got famous for punching Ashton but could make his name now for far healthier reasons.
New Zealand are justifiably the [1.8] favourites to win the World Cup in their own back yard. Not surprisingly the other Southern hemisphere super powers Australia [5.3] and South Africa [9.0] come next in the betting, but England at [15.0] deserve their status as the top team from the north. Who knows? Tindall might have a long wait for his nuptials, but he might end up with a double cause for celebration.
Five things you might not know about Manu Tuilagi
1. Born May 1991 in the village of Fogapoa on the Samoan island of Savai'I, his dad Tuilagi Vavae was a politician who became deputy speaker of the Samoan government. Mum Aliitasi ran the village shop
2. He's the youngest of seven brothers, six of whom either play or have played rugby for a living. The only one who doesn't is the third, Olotuli, who followed the Pacific Islands tradition that some men are brought up to live as a woman, in Samoa known as fa'afafine. Ironically Olotuli the biggest built of all seven.
3. Manu was 13 when he came to England with the rest of the family following oldest brother Henry, who had come to play Rugby League for Halifax after being spotted with Samoa in the 1995 World Cup.
4. Manu shouldn't have stayed - he was only on a six month holiday visa. That wasn't discovered until six years later when red tape stopped him joining an England Under 19 tour. Leicester had to make a special plea to save him being deported.
5. The whole family are deeply religious - they attend their local catholic church in the Leicester suburb of Thorpe Astley every week to "pray for strength".
The Contrarian has stuck his neck out by saying that New Zealand will fluff their favouritism but Geoffrey Riddle isn't having any of it. Read his tournament preview and best bets for Saturday's opener......
Martin Johnson has been assured his standing will continue to be free from interference from the offices at RFU HQ. That's a very good thing, says Ralph Ellis...
Geoffrey Riddle selects the best bets from this week's Aviva Premiership fixtures with his main focus Bath's meeting with Wasps at Twickenham on Saturday...
