Manu Tuilagi has found himself out of contention for the remainder of The Six Nations after receiving a red card for a brutal elbow while playing for sale.
Up against Northampton, the big English center was in the middle of a typically physical run when a moment of madness resulted in him spending the next 65 minutes on the sideline.
After initially making good ground, Tuilagi forced his elbow up into the jaw of Northampton's Tommy Freeman. Whether deliberate or not, it was a clear red card.
Freeman was clearly in pain immediately after the contact.
Despite being a player down from 13 minutes, Sale heaped pressure onto Northampton and went into halftime 24-7 to the good.
The hosts superbly rallied in the second half however and went on to win the game 38-34.
In previous years, Tuilagi's omission from The Six Nations would have been seen as a disaster for England, but Ollie Lawrence's brilliant performance last week has definitely softened the blow somewhat.
0 Comments