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Wed 19 Nov 2014 | 09:48
Alesana Tuilagi makes trademark crunching tackle against Bath

8
Comments

Powerhouse winger Alesana Tuilagi has made another crunching hit, this time against Bath and poor Ollie Devoto. The Samoan powerhouse has been playing his rugby in Japan but recently returned to the Aviva Premiership, keen to make his mark.

Alesana, sometimes referred to as Alex, spent two years with the NTT Shining Arcs in Japan, but returned to the Premiership recently, albeit after a delay with visa issues.

He was seen on BT Sport's Clare Balding Show a few weeks back, alongside brother Manu and fellow pacific islander brothers, Billy and Mako Vunipola, as they spoke about life back home. It was a great interview and we posted a few clips from it, so take a look when you get a chance.

The 33-year-old joins other brother Anitelea (Andy) Tuilagi at Newcastle, hoping to pick up on the form that made him such a star at the Leicester Tigers. He recently spoke of the rugby education he had in Japan, where the game is fast, and the diet is very different.

"I was surprised when I went there. I lived 15 minutes from Tokyo and it's a crazy place," he said ahead of joining Newcastle and starting the Premiership season.

"There's no diet there, the Japanese eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The rugby is different, the way they train is different; it was a different experience. They don't have home or away games, they select stadiums around the country and you play everywhere.

"You play one game down south, another up north, but most are in Tokyo. The standard there is good; they play a fast game and there are good players going there so the rugby is developing but it is a different environment.

"The rugby is going very well but the rules are different; they only allow two foreigners on the pitch and two on the bench, so I was playing for 40 minutes, then coming off," he added. 

This isn't the biggest hit he's ever made (view a whole heap of those in the Related Posts below this), but he is somewhat of a rugby legend, especially in the Premiership, so it's great to see him throwing his considerable weight around again.

credit: premiership rugby

Posted By: Grant Constable

8 Comments

  • 1:14 AM 21/11/2014

    Plus he follows thru and falls down, unlike most shoulder charges where they keep their feet

  • 1:11 AM 21/11/2014

    Usually I don't tow the tough guy party line but I gotta say you are wrong here. He starts low enough but his opponent just crumbles backwards and he ends up riding up his chest and his arms are actually wrapping around his back, not just lamely thrown out in a shoulder charge poor excuse for a tackle. We cannot simply card big powerful players because they overpower their opponents combined with great timing. This isn't the YMCA

  • friedrich
    12:28 AM 21/11/2014

    Neck braker. While were at it, the bath scrum half deserves a penalty against him for putting his arms up like that. Don't you just hate that?

  • drg
    9:19 AM 20/11/2014

    Totally agree Bonzo, I'd like someone to put me in contact with his manager, I think I could teach Mr Tuilagi a thing or two about tackling!

    ...and perhaps hard running, great ball carrying and Samoan sidesteps whilst I'm at it...

  • danknapp
    7:14 AM 20/11/2014

    There's a netballdump? WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?

  • danknapp
    7:13 AM 20/11/2014

    Arms are wrapped.
    He starts at shoulder level and the man he hits falls down.
    Tuilagi could give better examples of tackling.
    I just wet myself.

  • 10stonenumber10
    6:55 PM 19/11/2014

    Arms are wrapped but he lets go.

    Borderline or not, that was a well timed hit. He said himself the japanese game was much faster, back at leicester I don't think he would have read that play. I doubt any player in their 30s is as quick as they were 5 years ago, but you cannot beat experience! Wisdom is an extra 2 yards of pace when it comes to defence.

  • drg
    4:10 PM 19/11/2014

    No point bracing for that one, better off trying to hot foot your way away from that target area..

    Regardless of opinions on the laws, it's nice to see Tuilagi putting in a great hit and not getting pinged for it (deservedly or not).

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