Six Nations 2022: England's Manu Tuilagi on his possible return against Wales

Manu Tuilagi rejoined the England squad on 15 February

"I've got a small part to play."

England rugby fans - and indeed history - would beg to differ.

According to statistician Russ Petty, England's last home defeat with Tuilagi in the matchday squad was in November 2012.

As it often has, England's midfield struggled in the absence of Tuilagi in an opening-round defeat in Scotland.

With the hype building around the centre's return at Twickenham, BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Daily spoke to Tuilagi about why he now generally avoids using weights, sharing shortbread with Marcus Smith and a possible return against Wales.

• Listen to Rugby Union Daily: The Tuilagi Gambit

'I don't do weights'

While the 30-year-old has long been key to England's midfield, his repeated injuries have often been its undoing.

Tuilagi has been absent from the Six Nations so far because of his most recent issue: a hamstring problem sustained in November.

In a bid to reduce his chances of injury and keep up with the speed of the game, last summer Tuilagi decided he needed to lose some weight.

That meant, unlike his team-mates, he actively had to avoid the weights room rather than being encouraged to beef up.

"I don't really do much weights at the moment," Tuilagi said.

"I put on mass quite quick. I think for me I do more body-weight [exercises] to make sure the bit I got injured is strong. In terms of lifting weights, not so much."

'Me and Marcus relaxed with tea and biscuits'

Tuilagi is one of the more senior players in the squad but should still fit well with head coach Eddie Jones' plan for 'new England' centred around younger players like Smith and Freddie Steward.

As well as providing a battering ram through the opposition's defence, Tuilagi can offer a decoy to give star fly-half Smith space to be creative.

The prospect of Tuilagi and Smith in the same backline is an exciting one and the pair have already done plenty of bonding together off the field.

They were room-mates during an England training camp in Jersey and Tuilagi says it is important to spend time with the younger players because "you don't want them to feel pressure".

"[We were] just relaxing with nice tea and a couple of biscuits, nice shortbread," Tuilagi said of his time spent with Smith.

"That's the very important thing to connect and get to know each other."

'Wales is must-win'

If he is fit enough to start, Tuilagi is likely to combine with Henry Slade in the centre.

After losing their opening game, England must beat Wales to keep their hopes of a title alive and even then would be relying on favourites France losing one of their remaining matches.

Many will feel more confident of success with Tuilagi on the pitch, including former England scrum-half Danny Care.

"I was always a lot more confident of having a successful game on the pitch when I knew Manu was beside me and I'm sure a lot of the boys on the pitch will feel the same," he said.

"I think England have only had two properly unique superstars. I think Jason Robinson was one and Manu is the second. He possesses something that no one else does."

But Tuilagi himself does not assign as much importance to his role.

"I've got a small part to play in the team," he said.

"That's what I always focus on. There are a lot of things going on in the media but we're focusing on what we're doing in here.

"It's a massive game against Wales. For us it's a must-win game."

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